55+ Best Protest Quotes For Peaceful And Powerful Activism
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A protest is defined as showing an objection or disapproval to a certain topic.
The term protest is generally understood as the gathering of a group of peoples or an individual, to speak up against a perceived injustice. Most protests are peaceful ones, but they can sometimes become violent.
There are many authors, social activists, politicians, actors, and protestors themselves who have provided us with interesting and meaningful protest quotes. We have listed some of these great protest quotes and protest sayings here, for you.
So what are you waiting for? Read on and discover the most meaningful activism quotes and protest quotes to inspire you to stand up for what is right.
If you like these protest quotes then have a look at these democracy quotes and Human Rights quotes for more.
Famous Quotes About Protests
We have listed such famous protest sayings and protest quotes that will fill your heart with inspiration and motivation. From peaceful protest quotes and Martin Luther King Jr. quotes, to social injustice quotes and quotes about injustice, there are so many protest quotes to inspire you here.
Some of the most famous oppression quotes writers include Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Martin Luther King Jr., Elie Wiesel, Mahatma Gandhi and Brien Pittman. Read on to discover the most inspirational quotes about activism and protest quotes from these figures.
1. “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world... would do this, it would change the earth.”
- William Faulkner.
2. “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; It is absolutely essential to it.”
- Howard Zinn.
3. “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
- Mahatma Gandhi.
4. “The only weapon that we have in our hands this evening is the weapon of protest. That's all.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
5. “Corruption, and injustice won’t go away just because you make a lot of noise about it.”
- Brien Pittman.
6. “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
7. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
8. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
- Elie Wiesel.
9. “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
- Mahatma Gandhi.
10. “Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the initiators, if they themselves are the result of violence?”
- Paulo Freire.
11. “Peaceful protest is more effective when creating real change. Peaceful protest wins over the hearts and minds of the majority. That majority continues to grow. It is like sunlight and water for your garden.”
- Leland Lewis.
12. “The purpose of protest to provoke a response. Trouble is some people prefer to address the appropriateness of the protest not the issue.”
- Jeffrey G. Duarte.
13. “Democracy is about the dialogue; protest is about initiating the dialogue and freedom of speech is about respecting each other’s dialogue.”
- Ankit Mishra.
14. “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
15. “In protesting for your rights in any form you may, but it's only good, if they can understand your problems and feelings and not only to judge you.”
- Auliq Ice.
16. “Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive.”
- John F. Kennedy.
17. “Protest against injustices belongs only to honourable and courageous people!”
- Mehmet Murat İldan.
18. “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can quietly become a power no government can suppress, a power than can transform the world.”
- Howard Zinn.
19. “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
- Elie Wiesel.
20. “Activism begins with you, democracy begins with you, get out there, get active! Tag, you're it.”
- Thom Hartmann.
21. "We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
22. “To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men.”
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
23. “You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.”
- Mahatma Gandhi.
24. “The human voice is still the most paramount vessel or weapon to use, to uphold justice and to protest against injustice.”
- Sunday Adelaja.
25. “The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you'll get action.”
- Malcolm X.
26. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead.
27. “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
28. “If protesting, do no harm to yourself or others.”
– Leland Lewis.
29. “The ends you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself but the ends you serve that are for all, in common, will take you into eternity.”
30. “Understand: the task of an activist is not to negotiate systems of power with as much personal integrity as possible-it's to dismantle those systems.”
- Lierre Keith.
31. "It is better to protest than to accept injustice."
- Rosa Parks.
32. "Avoiding offense means that we don't accept each other as equals."
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
33. "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."
- Elie Wiesel.
34. "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
- Desmond Tutu.
35. "You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."
- Mahatma Gandhi.
36. "I do not know of any salvation for society except through eccentrics, misfits, dissenters, people who protest."
- William O. Douglas.
37. "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves."
- Henry David Thoreau.
38. "When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him."
39. "This is the greatest country under the sun. But we must not let our love of country, our patriotic loyalty, cause us to abate one whit in our protest against wrong and injustice."
- Madam C. J. Walker.
40. "It seems the only way to gain attention today is to organize a march and protest something."
- Billy Graham.
41. "The power of protest depends not only on how many turn out, but also on what legislative, judicial, and civil society institutions exist to enact the will of those marching in the streets."
- Cynthia P. Schneider.
42. "Protest is when I say I don't like this. Resistance is when I put an end to what I don't like. Protest is when I say I refuse to go along with this anymore. Resistance is when I make sure everybody else stops going along too."
- Ulrike Meinhof.
43. "I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I've been closer to him for that reason."
- Elie Wiesel.
44. "We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”
- Malala Yousafzai.
45. “If people want to protest, to get out there and express themselves, as long as they do it peacefully, they should be encouraged to do so.”
- Keith Ellison.
46. “All struggles against oppression in the modern world begin by redefining what had previously been considered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of public concern, as issues of justice, as sites of power.”
- Seyla Benhabib.
Inspirational Quotes About Protests
We have listed the most inspirational quotes about protests for your greater influence here. Which of these activism quotes and protest quotes will inspire you to be a better human being today?
47. “We did not hesitate to call our movement an army. But it was a special army, with no supplies but its sincerity, no uniform but its determination, no arsenal except its faith, no currency but its conscience.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
48. "Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.”
- John Lennon, 'Imagine'.
49. “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”
- Cesar Chavez.
50. "We have freedom of speech. We are able to hold hands in protest and stand up for what we believe in and have people hear what you have to say.”
- Randy Orton.
51. “No one will do for you what you need to do for yourself. We cannot afford to be separate. We have to see that all of us are in the same boat.”
- Dorothy Height.
52. "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."
- John Lewis.
53. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
- Harriet Tubman.
54. "I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
- Rosa Parks.
55. "At this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when everyday is a matter of survival, I don't think you can help but be involved."
- Nina Simone.
56. "The only way that you beat a machine is with a movement."
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
57. “Never explain, never retract, never apologize. Just get the thing done and let them howl.”
- Nellie McClung.
58. "Don't wait for a better world. Start now to create a world of harmony and peace. It is up to you, and it always has been. You may even find the solution at the end of your fork.”
- Sharon Gannon.
59. "Only in this connection of knowledge and social action can education generate the understanding... necessary for the continued existence of democracy."
- John Dewey.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for protest quotes, then why not take a look at these activism quotes, or [female empowerment quotes] too?
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Bachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights
Anusuya MukherjeeBachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights
With a wealth of international experience spanning Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East, Anusuya brings a unique perspective to her work as a Content Assistant and Content Updating Coordinator. She holds a law degree from India and has practiced law in India and Kuwait. Anusuya is a fan of rap music and enjoys a good cup of coffee in her free time. Currently, she is working on her novel, "Mr. Ivory Merchant".
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