40+ Jesse Jackson Quotes On Faith, Politics And Civil Rights

Martha Martins
Sep 19, 2023 By Martha Martins
Originally Published on Mar 16, 2021
Civil Rights title on a book and gavel
Age: 0-99
Read time: 6.2 Min

Jesse Louis Jackson is an American politician.

Jesse Jackson was a presidential candidate for the Democratic party. He is also prominent as a leader and campaigner for Civil Rights.

Jesse Jackson talks a lot about democratic rights in the United States. He is most famous for being a Democratic American politician and leader, but he is also known as a Civil Rights leader and Civil Rights activist. His quotes on Civil Rights often discuss free speech and voting rights.

These Rev Jesse Jackson quotes, include lots of Jesse Jackson famous quotes, and some less known quotes from Jesse Louis Jackson too, enjoy!

If you like these Jesse Jackson quotes check out these Civil Rights quotes and Thurgood Marshall quotes too.

Famous Jesse Jackson Quotes

These Jesse Jackson quotes from the famous Civil Rights activist and politician are certainly worth a read. These quotes will take you on a political journey with the American Democratic politician.

Female activist protesting with megaphone

1. "At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division."

- Jesse Jackson.

2. "If my mind can conceive it, my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it!"

- Jesse Jackson.

3. "Your children need your presence more than your presents."

- Jesse Jackson.

4. "No government, no legislature, has a right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams."

- Jesse Jackson.

5. "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up."

- Jesse Jackson.

6. “It's not enough to be quiet. Quietness is the absence of noise. We need peace, the presence of justice and to be - and so people here can coexist and live together.”

- Jesse Jackson.

7. "If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds."

- Jesse Jackson.

8. "No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to fly high."

- Jesse Jackson.

9.  "Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change."

- Jesse Jackson.

10. "You may not be responsible for being down, but you must be responsible for getting up."

- Jesse Jackson.

Wise And Funny Jesse Jackson Quotes

Who said a minister and leader cannot be funny? Of course, they can. They also impart wisdom on a national level. Read these funny quotes and wise quotes by the national personality.

11. “If you wear a hoodie but aren't registered to vote, you got the symbolism but missed the substance.”

- Jesse Jackson.

12. "Every time you go to Hymietown that's all they want to talk about."

- Jesse Jackson.

13. "Great things happen in small places. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville."

- Jesse Jackson.

14. "I may not eat steak every day but I am somebody."

- Jesse Jackson.

15. "A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live."

- Jesse Jackson.

16. “You can’t plant a seed and pick the fruit the next morning.”

- Jesse Jackson.

17. "When the doors of opportunity swing open, we must make sure that we are not too drunk or too indifferent to walk through."

- Jesse Jackson.

18. "Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive."

- Jesse Jackson.

19. "Rising tides don't lift all boats, particularly those stuck at the bottom. For the boats stuck at the bottom there's a misery index."

- Jesse Jackson.

20. "Today's students... must know it is not their aptitude but their attitude that will determine their altitude."

- Jesse Jackson.

Civil Rights Quotes From Jesse Jackson

As well as being a minister and a politician, Jesse Jackson has been a prominent Civil Rights activist, throughout the United States. These Jesse Jackson quotes are all about Civil Rights.

21. "When I came here, I put my hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. I didn't put my hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

- Jesse Jackson.

22. "I was extended Secret Service protection during my presidential run in 1984, when I received the most death threats ever made toward a candidate."

- Jesse Jackson.

23. "A new leadership. A choice. A chance. Don't cry about what you don't have. Use what you got."

- Jesse Jackson.

24. "Leaders must be tough enough to fight, tender enough to cry, human enough to make mistakes, humble enough to admit them, strong enough to absorb the pain, and resilient enough to bounce back and keep on moving."

- Jesse Jackson.

25. "Those who write the editorials and those who write the columns, they simply are unaccountable. They're free to impose their cultural politics in the name of freedom of the press."

- Jesse Jackson.

26. "We've been so preoccupied with getting the government to behave in a fair and democratic way, we were not able to focus on the private sector where most of the jobs are, where most of the wealth and opportunities are."

- Jesse Jackson.

27. "Deliberation and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy."

- Jesse Jackson.

28. "Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day."

- Jesse Jackson.

29. "Those powers that control the tent are not threatened at all by any activity that you engage in, in the shadows, that's not moving toward the tent. And I am rather convinced that we have a generation that is so preoccupied with life in the shadows, they never even focus on getting to the sunlight where you open up the big tent."

- Jesse Jackson.

30. "Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together."

- Jesse Jackson.

Jesse Jackson Quotes On Community

Any nation builds up from a community. If the community is not strong, there cannot be a strong nation, thus community is the grassroots of nation-building. These quotes on community show how Jesse Jackson puts an emphasis on community in his national campaigning.

31. “No one wants to see self-destructive riots because there's no future in riots.”

- Jesse Jackson.

32. "Nobody can save us, from us, for us, but us!"

- Jesse Jackson.

33. “It is in struggle and service with our brothers and sisters, individually and collectively, that we find the meaning of life.”

- Jesse Jackson.

34. "The problem is that not that the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen."

- Jesse Jackson.

35. "America is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, one cloth."

- Jesse Jackson.

36. "I want to send you my warmest feelings of personal support in your effort to reshape your education and assert your vision."

- Jesse Jackson.

37. "It is time for us to turn to each other, not on each other."

- Jesse Jackson.

38. “Obama used to be a community organizer. He knows how to build communities.”

- Jesse Jackson.

39. "In politics, an organized minority is a political majority."

- Jesse Jackson.

40. "Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow... and we're all precious in God's sight."

- Jesse Jackson.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Jesse Jackson quotes then why not take a look at these democracy quotes and W.E.B. Du Bois quotes too?

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Written by Martha Martins

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Linguistics

Martha Martins picture

Martha MartinsBachelor of Arts specializing in Linguistics

Martha is a full-time creative writer, content strategist, and aspiring screenwriter who communicates complex thoughts and ideas effectively. She has completed her Bachelor's in Linguistics from Nasarawa State University. As an enthusiast of public relations and communication, Martha is well-prepared to substantially impact your organization as your next content writer and strategist. Her dedication to her craft and commitment to delivering high-quality work enables her to create compelling content that resonates with audiences.

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