75+ W.E.B. Du Bois Quotes On Sociology, History And Civil Rights
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W.E.B Du Bois was an American Sociologist and professor of history and economics during the late 19th century and early 20th century.
He became a civil rights activist and was one of the first African Americans to earn a doctorate at Harvard University. Du Bois was among the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
He worked for full civil rights and political representation of the colored people and wanted all black people to receive basic education and economic opportunities. Du Bois had written many books and journals and was famous for his quotes on civil rights, history, and sociology.
Read along to find some of his famous quotes. Make sure you also check out our articles on Thurgood Marshall quotes and Marcus Garvey quotes as you finish with this one.
Civil Right Quotes By W.E.B Du Bois
Rights that protect an individual’s freedom is known as civil rights. W.E.B Du Bois demanded equal rights for the African American citizens to participate in the political and civil life in America without being discriminated against. Below are some quotes from WEB DuBois.
1. “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
2. “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
3. “The power of the ballot we need in sheer defense, else what shall save us from a second slavery?”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
4. “But we do not merely protest; we make renewed demand for freedom in that vast kingdom of the human spirit where freedom has ever had the right to dwell: the expressing of thought to unstuffed ears; the dreaming of dreams by untwisted souls.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
5. “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others. … One ever feels his twoness — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
6. "Most men today cannot conceive of a freedom that does not involve somebody's slavery”.
- W.E.B Du Bois.
7. "A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills."
- W.E.B Du Bois.
8. “The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
9. “There is but one coward on earth, and that is the coward that dare not know.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
10. “Ignorance is a cure for nothing. ”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
11. “We say easily, for instance, ‘The ignorant ought not to vote.’ We would say, ‘No civilized state should have citizens too ignorant to participate in government,’ and this statement is but a step to the fact: that no state is civilized which has citizens too ignorant to help rule it.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
12. "Oppression costs the oppressor too much if the oppressed stands up and protests. The protest need not be merely physical-the throwing of stones and bullets-if it is mental, spiritual; if it expresses itself in silent, persistent dissatisfaction, the cost to the oppressor is terrific."
- W.E.B Du Bois.
Quotes From W.E.B Du Bois On Education And Work
W.E.B Du Bois believed that socialism is an excellent way of life. He was of the opinion that a better path toward equality was socialism. He advocated the bettering of life in America for the black American population. Read along to find WEB DuBois famous quotes on socialism, education and work.
13. “Capitalism cannot reform itself; it is doomed to self-destruction.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
14. “Education must not simply teach work - it must teach life.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
15. “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
16. “Education is that whole system of human training within and without the schoolhouse walls, which molds and develops men.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
17. “When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books You will be reading meanings.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
18. “Rule-following, legal precedence, and political consistency are not more important than right, justice and plain common-sense.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
19. “Believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader, and fuller life”.
- W.E.B Du Bois.
20. “The return from your work must be the satisfaction which that work brings you and the world's need for that work. With this, life is heaven, or as near heaven as you can get. Without this — with work which you despise, which bores you, and which the world does not need — this life is hell.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
21. “You are not and yet you are: your thoughts, your deeds, above all your dreams still live.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
22. “Beneath the Veil lay right and wrong, vengeance and love, and sometimes throwing aside the veil, a soul of sweet Beauty and Truth stood revealed.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
23. “A classic is a book that doesn't have to be written again.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
24. “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
25. “Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched,- criticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led, - this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
26. “Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
27. “And herein lies the tragedy of the age: not that men are poor, –all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked, –who is good? not that men are ignorant, –what is Truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
28. “To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
29. "No universal selfishness can bring social good to all."
- W.E.B Du Bois.
30. "In all things purely social we can be as separate as the five fingers, and yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
31. “The price of culture is a lie.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
Web Dubois Quotes On Race, Humanity & Polity
W.E.B Du Bois was a historian. He vastly studied the history of slavery and racism to find its origins. He published ‘The Negro’ in the early 20th century, a book about the history of Black Africans. This book served as an inspiration for many who supported the Pan African Movement. Below are some historical quotes by WEB DuBois.
32. “What do nations care about the cost of war, if by spending a few hundred million in steel and gunpowder they can gain a thousand millions in diamonds and cocoa?”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
33. “The slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
34. “Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
35. “A system cannot fail those it was never meant to protect.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
36. “Crucified on the vast wheel of time, I flew round and round with the Zeitgeist, waving my pen and lifting faint voices to explain, expound and exhort; to see, foresee and prophesy, to the few who could or would listen.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
37. “One ever feels his twoness - an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
38. “The theory of democratic government is not that the will of the people is always right, but rather that normal human beings of average intelligence will, if given a chance, learn the right and best course by bitter experience.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
39. “Unfortunately there was one thing that the white South feared more than Negro dishonesty, ignorance, and incompetency, and that was Negro honesty, knowledge, and efficiency.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
40. “There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
41. “A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
42. "Either the United States will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States."
- W.E.B Du Bois.
43. "In 1956, I shall not go to the polls. I have not registered. I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no 'two evils' exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say."
- W.E.B Du Bois.
44. “We must complain. Yes, plain, blunt complaint, ceaseless agitation, unfailing exposure of dishonesty, and wrong - this is the ancient, unerring way to liberty and we must follow it.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
45. “The chief problem in any community cursed with crime is not the punishment of the criminals, but the preventing of the young from being trained to crime.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
46. “I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls; the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
47. "Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?”
- W.E.B Du Bois.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for W.E.B Du Bois Quotes then why not take a look at [black history inspirational quotes], or [Maya Angelou love quotes].
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Bachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
Monisha KochharBachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
A Modern Languages graduate from the University College London, Monisha with a passion for travel and exploring different cultures. She is fluent in French and Spanish and is currently learning Hindi. Monisha enjoys discovering new foods and is an avid sports fan, following soccer and Formula 1. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and watching TV shows.
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