"We all live in the same house, we all must be part of the effort to hold down our little house. When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just... do something about it. Say something. Have the courage. Have the backbone. Get in the way. Walk with the wind. It's all going to work out."
John LewisTiny Panda Quotes
Quotes by John Lewis
John Lewis, a pivotal figure in the American civil rights movement, was born on February 21, 1940, in Troy, Alabama. A devoted advocate for justice, he played a crucial role in the struggle for voting rights, most notably as one of the leaders during the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. Throughout his life, Lewis served as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, where he continued to champion equality and social justice until his passing in July 2020. His legacy inspires generations to fight for civil rights and equity.
14 quotes found
"Without prayer, without faith in the Almighty, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings."
John Lewis
"The action of Rosa Parks, the words and leadership of Dr. King inspired me. I was deeply inspired. I wanted to do something."
John Lewis"Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division."
John Lewis"We come to Selma to be renewed. We come to be inspired. We come to be reminded that we must do the work that justice and equality calls us to do."
John Lewis"When I was 15 years old and in the tenth grade, I heard of Martin Luther King, Jr. Three years later, when I was 18, I met Dr. King and we became friends. Two years after that I became very involved in the civil rights movement. I was in college at that time. As I got more and more involved, I saw politics as a means of bringing about change."
John Lewis"The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something."
John Lewis"Without our faith, we wouldn't have been able to succeed. On many occasions, before we'd go out on a sit-in, before we went on the freedom ride, before we marched from Selma to Montgomery, we would sing a song or say a prayer. Without our faith, without the spirit and spiritual bearings and underpinning, we would not have been so successful."
John Lewis
"The government, both state and federal, has a duty to be reasonable and accommodating."
John Lewis"What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and its grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible."
John Lewis
"We are one people; we are only family. And when we finally accept these truths, then we will be able to fulfill Dr. King's dream to build a beloved community, a nation, and a world at peace with itself."
John Lewis"Before we went on any protest, whether it was sit-ins or the freedom rides or any march, we prepared ourselves, and we were disciplined. We were committed to the way of peace - the way of non-violence - the way of love - the way of life as the way of living."
John Lewis