black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.

Cesar Chavez

You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Oppression Scare Yourself
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
We are suffering. We have suffered. And we are not afraid to suffer in order to win our cause.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Fear Ourselves Suffering Win
The only ones who make things change are fanatics. If you’re not a fanatic around here, you can’t cut it.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Change Mad Oneself
We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community – and this nation.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Community Help Nation Need Parents Strength Student
Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Learning Life Live Violence
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 cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Achievement Ambition Community Enough Need Ourselves Prosperity See
The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Principle Violence
There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Acceptance Patience
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
The non-violent technique does not depend for its success on the goodwill of the oppressor, but rather on the unfailing assistance of God.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Failure God Oppression Success Violence
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
There are many reasons for why a man does what he does. To be himself he must be able to give it all. If a leader cannot give it all he cannot expect his people to give anything.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Expectation Himself Leadership Man People Reason
In giving of yourself, you will discover a whole new life full of.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Discover Life Yourself
If we are full of hatred, we can’t really do our work. Hatred saps all that strength and energy we need to plan.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Hate Planning Strength
It’s ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Food Yourself
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

Dignity Himself Human Respect
The end of all knowledge must be the building up of character.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Character End Knowledge
Never, never is it possible to reach someone if you become angry or bitter only love and gentleness can do it. Maybe not this time but maybe the next or the hundredth time.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Angry Love Possible Time
When any person suffers for someone in greater need, that person is a human.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Greatness Human Person Suffering
Our struggle is not easy. Those who oppose our cause are rich and powerful and they have many allies in high places. We are poor. Our allies are few. But we have something the rich do not own. We have our bodies and spirits and the justice of our cause as our weapons.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Body Justice Ourselves Poor Powerful Rich Spirit Struggle Weapon
Our language is the reflection of ourselves.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Language Ourselves Reflection
From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Need People Problem Strength Togetherness
There is enough love and good will in our movement to give energy to our struggle and still have plenty left over to break down and change the climate of hate and fear around us.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Break Change Enough Fear Hate Love Ourselves
You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Education Learning Reading Yourself
To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.
CESAR CHAVEZ

Dreams Greatness Persistence True

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Cesar Chavez Quotes