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What is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it.

Cesar Chavez

Violence just hurts those who are already hurt. Instead of exposing the brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Hurt Oppression Violence
When you have people together who believe in something very strongly – whether it’s religion or politics or unions – things happen.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe People Politics Religion Strong Togetherness Unity
When workers fall back on violence, they are lost. Oh, they might win some of their demands and might end a strike a little earlier, but they give up their imagination, their creativity, their will to work hard and to suffer for what they believe is right.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe Creation Fall Give Up Imagination Lost Suffering Violence Win
Nonviolence is really tough. You don’t practice nonviolence at conferences; you practice it on picket-lines.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Battle Practice Violence
It takes a lot of punishment to be able to do anything to change the social order.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Change Punishment
History will judge societies and governments – and their institutions – not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.
CESAR CHAVEZ

History Judgement Need Powerful Rich
We must understand that the highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of discipline.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Discipline Freedom Greatness Understand
A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride. When people see it they know it means dignity.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Choice Important People Pride See
We believe that unions have always been about much more than the industries in which they operate. The fight is never about grapes or lettuce, It is always about people.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Believe Fight Food People
In some cases non-violence requires more militancy than violence.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Deep Violence
The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Justice Love Nature Ourselves True
When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Determination Honesty Kind Live Men Ourselves
We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Difference Endurance Force Live Myself
I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness, is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men!
CESAR CHAVEZ

Act Courage God Man Myself Ourselves Sacrifice Suffering True
In the final analysis it doesn’t really matter what the political system is. We don’t need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Need Perfection Politics
We do not need to kill or destroy to win. We are a movement that builds and not destroys.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Destroy Kill Need Win

What is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it.

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What is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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