We all could use some motivational speak up quotes in our lives.
Whether you are a man or a woman who cannot find their voice, or just someone who is looking for that extra inspiration - read on! If you like inspirational speak up quotes, why not check out stand up for yourself quotes and be brave quotes.
Inspirational Speak Up Quotes From Famous People
The true value of speech is in saying something different. Read on for some inspirational speak up for yourself quotes by the people history remembers. This great list of inspirational quotes will bring out your voice every day.
1. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
-Alice Walker.
2. “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”
- Madeleine K. Albright.
3. “I speak up when it’s needed.”
– Torrey Smith.
4. "Only by speaking out can we create lasting change."
-DaShanne Stokes.
5. “Never be afraid to speak your mind, you have one for a reason.”
– Sarah Moores.
6. "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something."
-John Lewis.
7. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak."
-Winston Churchill.
8. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
— Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
9. “When you have something to say, silence is a lie—and tyranny feeds on lies.”
-Jordan B Peterson.
10. "You have to speak your mind and do the stuff that makes you laugh."
-Joe Rogan.
11. “Breaking our silence is powerful. Whether it comes as a whisper or a squeak at first, allow that sense of spaciousness, of opening, allow yourself to trust the bottomlessness, and lean into the dark roar which will light up every cell."
-Lucy H. Pearce.
12. "Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on."
-Thurgood Marshall.
13. "Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
-DH Lawrence.
14. “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
15. “But I have learned in the last year, more than ever before, that sometimes we have to be loud.”
-Atia Abawi, 'Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration.'
16. "You have to speak your mind, but without being cruel."
-Len Goodman.
17. "Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind - even if your voice shakes."
-Maggie Kuhn.
18. "Using your voice in ways that might initially scare you. That can be being an architect of change."
-Maria Shriver.
19. “What is the source of our first suffering? It lies in the fact that we hesitated to speak. It was born in the moment when we accumulated silent things within us.”
- Gaton Bachelard.
20. “I am strong and human with a mouth that can work like a man’s and a more intelligible brain, and I demand to be heard.”
- Caroline George, 'The Vestige'.
21. "Just remember to always be yourself and do not be afraid to speak your mind to others."
-JA Redmerski.
23. "It is always the best policy to speak the truth."
-Jerome K. Jerome.
24. "There's something so healthy about young people speaking up in unity."
-Robbie Robertson.
25. “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
-Mahatma Gandhi.
26. "Terrorism will spill over if you do not speak up."
-Malala Yousafzai.
27. "When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak."
-Audrey Lourde
28. "Women speaking up for themselves and for those around them is the strongest force we have to change the world."
-Melinda Gates.
29. “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.”
-Leonardo Da Vinci.
30. "It takes courage and honor to stand up for yourself. I stand in honor and no longer in fear of speaking out."
-Catherine Jane Fisher.
Inspirational Speak Up Quotes
Never find yourself at a loss for words again with these inspirational quotes. Share these 'don't be afraid to speak up quotes' with friends to help them speak up too!
31. “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”
-Albert Einstein.
32. "And then our speaking out will permit other women to speak, until laws change and lives are saved and the world is altered forever."
-Audrey Lourde.
33. “If I sit silently, I have sinned.”
- Mohammad Mossadegh.
34. "The act of speaking out may make you feel alone"
-Ravish Kumar.
35. "When you see corruption, when you see injustice, you speak up. You don't just shut up and say it's none of my business."
-Manal Al Sharif.
36. "Give yourself permission to say NO. Do not feel guilty, mean, or selfish."
-Stephanie Lahart.
37. “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.”
-Audre Lourde.
38. "If you feel something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up."
-Fred Korematsu.
39. “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”
- Robert F Kennedy.
40. "We talk a lot about our right to freedom of expression, but on this day we need to talk more about our responsibility to freedom of expression."
-Monica Lewinsky.
41. "I've learned the importance of speaking up for myself and voicing my opinions and my ideas. I'm definitely a shy person."
-Fiona Gubelmann.
42. “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If every person all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.”
-William Faulkner.
43. “To say nothing is saying something.”
-Germany Kent.
44. "Don't be afraid of speaking your mind, because that is what makes you different from the rest."
-Dave Thomas.
45. "Giggles can spread from person to person. So can blushing. But maybe the most powerful infectious thing is the act of speaking the truth.”
-Vera Nazarin.
46. “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, we can never truly rest.”
— Nelson Mandela.
47. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
- Elie Wiesel.
48. "My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you."
-Audrey Lourde.
49. “Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can't afford to stay silent.”
-Reni Eddo-Lodge.
50. "Change starts with one person questioning, challenging, speaking up and doing something to make a difference."
-Paul Kivel.
51. “Speak up, because the day you don't speak up for the things that matter to you is the day your freedom truly ends.”
-Teresa Bannon.
52. "We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't."
-Audre Lourde.
53. "The speaking will get easier and easier. And you will lose some friends and lovers, and realize you don't miss them."
-Audre Lourde.
54. “Don’t be afraid to speak up. Some people may not appreciate your opinion. Others may criticize you for it. But the ones who really matter in your life will respect you for it.”
-Unknown.*
55. "Choosing with integrity means finding ways to speak up that honor your reality, the reality of others, and your willingness to meet in the center of that large field."
-Terry Tempest Williams.
56. "The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls."
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
57. “We can learn to work and speak when we are afraid in the same way we learn to work and speak when we are tired.”
- Audre Lorde.
58. "He who does not have the courage to speak up for his rights can not earn the respect of others."
-Rene Dubos.
59. "Each of us needs to find our own sources of courage so that we can begin to speak."
-Beverly Tatum.
60. "Never separate the life you live from the words you speak."
-Paul Wellstone.
Speak Up Quotes To Stand Up To Injustice
Silence is indeed compliance - and you can choose to rebel with these quotes, including 'if you don't speak up quotes', to help you raise your voice against injustice.
61. “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
- Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
62. "Just speak yourself into existence."
-Nick Cannon.
63. "It's just that I am not afraid to speak my mind."
-Alan Sugar.
64. "You must cry out if you want help. It is no use whatsoever to suffer in silence. Who will succour the drowning man if he does not clamour for his life?"
-Kamala Markandaya.
65. “What is the source of our first suffering? It lies in the fact that we hesitated to speak. It was born in the moment when we accumulated silent things within us.”
– Gaton Bachelard.
66. "Man does not speak because he thinks; he thinks because he speaks. Or rather, speaking is no different than thinking: to speak is to think."
-Octavio Paz.
67. "Never hush your voice for someone's comfort."
-Terry Pratchett.
68. "The only way to be heard is to actually speak up."
-Unknown.*
69. "If you are not going to speak up, how will the world know of your existence?"
-Unknown.*
70. "Stop holding your truth; speak your truth."
-Tiffany Hadish.
71. "I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves."
-Audre Lourde.
72. "Speak the truth. People will forgive an honest mistake; they won't forgive you if you lie."
-Mark Goulston.
73. “Staying quiet to keep the peace can be a good thing, but if the peace has already been disturbed, staying quiet won’t make anything better. Summon your courage and speak up when you feel the need to.”
-Doe Zantamata.
74. "Be Open and Speak your mind."
-Dr. Anil Kumar.
75. "Be a voice not an echo."
-Albert Einstein.
76.“Speak up. Believe in yourself. Take risks.”
-Sheryl Sandberg.
77. “Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight.”
-Bob Marley.
78. “Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you.”
-Howard Thurman, 'Deep Is the Hunger'.
79. “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”
— Haile Selassie.
80. "Make sure you have finished speaking before the audience has finished listening."
-Doroty Sarnoff.
81. "People will hate you for speaking the truth, but you've gotta learn to stand up to them, so don't be offended if I say something you don't like."
-Eminem.
82. "Not speaking up against pure evil is equal to co-operating with it."
-Constance Chuks Friday.
83. "Someone has to stand up and speak for the freedoms of the little guy."
-Christopher Monckton.
84. "Let others know when they have hurt or angered you. By not speaking up when someone insults or mistreats you, you are inadvertently giving permission for him or her to continue to treat you in the same way in the future."
-Beverly Engel.
85. "Speak up for those who can not speak for themselves."
-Jesus Christ, 'The Bible'.
86. "I always believe that you have to speak up."
-Unknown.*
87. “It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do.”
- E.A. Bucchianeri, 'Brushstrokes of a Gadfly'.
88. "Speak up and judge fairly."
-Proverbs 31:9, 'The Bible'.
89. "I will stand up, I will speak out for not to offend but to defend.”
-Evelyn Beatrice Hall.
90. "I just sort of became an adult and started speaking up for myself and not apologising for myself."
-Fernando Torres.
*Do you know where this quote originated? Please email us to let us know at hello@kidadl.com.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Speak up quotes then why not take a look at stand tall quotes, or be bold quotes.
