Speaking Out Quotes

• Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.

  Mahatma Gandhi

  Wise, Spiritual, Silence

  Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Merton (1965). “Gandhi on Non-violence”, p.58, New Directions Publishing

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• The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way, you're accountable.

  Arundhati Roy

  Political, Way, Saying Nothing

  Arundhati Roy (2001). “Power Politics”

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• We need more people speaking out. This country is not overrun with rebels and free thinkers. It's overrun with sheep and conformists.

  Bill Maher

  Country, Sheep, People

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• Anyone who's making a huge impact or speaking out about what they believe in or who's brave enough to be themselves is a superhero to me.

  Emma Stone

  Believe, Impact, Superhero

  Source: www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com

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• I'd rather die for speaking out, than to live and be silent.

  Confucius

  Hero, Chinese, Silent

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• 

  Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

  Abraham Lincoln

  Funny, Life, Sarcastic

  Abraham Lincoln (1982). “Abraham Lincoln, wisdom & wit”, Peter Pauper Pr

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• There was no one left to speak for me.

  Martin Niemoller

  Speaking Up, Bystanders, Nwo

  "First they came". Poem by Martin Niemoller,

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• Democracy depends on people speaking out, and in times of great crisis, on people creating a commotion.

  Howard Zinn

  Creating, People, Democracy

  Source: openvault.wgbh.org

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• Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist.

  Martin Niemoller

  Speaks Out, Talking, Holocaust

  Martin Niemöller (1986). “Exile in the Fatherland: Martin Niemöller's Letters from Moabit Prison”

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• I believe that the most essential element of our defense of freedom is our insistence on speaking out for the cause of religious liberty.

  Ronald Reagan

  Religious, Freedom, Believe

  United States. President (1981-1989 : Reagan), Ronald Reagan (1982). “Ronald Reagan”

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• Domestic violence can be so easy for people to ignore, as it often happens without any witnesses and it is sometimes easier not to get involved. Yet, by publicly speaking out against domestic violence, together we can challenge attitudes towards violence in the home and show that domestic violence is a crime and not merely unacceptable.

  Honor Blackman

  Attitude, Home, Together We Can

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• I believe that the quantum of our knowledge will increase considerably in the coming years and that scientists will continue to be amongst the brave voices speaking out.

  Peter Garrett

  Believe, Talking, Years

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

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• Everyone has freedom to say whatever they want to say. I think it takes a stronger person to hold their tongue as opposed to speaking out.

  Evander Holyfield

  Thinking, Stronger

  Source: www.boxinginsider.com

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• You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a (flag) pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest.

  Barack Obama

  War, Thinking, Talking

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• Take the example of my daughter. A lot of people were speaking out about education when the Taliban were bombing schools in Swat Valley, but Malala's voice was like a crescendo. It spread all around the world. She was the smallest but her voice was the biggest, because she was speaking for herself.

  Ziauddin Yousafzai

  Mother, Daughter, School

  "Ziauddin Yousafzai: learn from Malala, use your own voice to demand rights" by Anna Leach, www.theguardian.com. April 9, 2014.

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• I don’t mind expressing my opinions and speaking out against injustice. I would be doing this even if I wasn’t a writer. I grew up in a household that believed in social justice. I have always understood myself as having an obligation to stand on the side of the silenced, the oppressed, and the mistreated.

  Tayari Jones

  Justice, Mind, Sides

  "Tayari Jones Knows Why She Sings". Interview with Ru Freeman, www.huffingtonpost.com. May 9, 2012.

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• It is important to know that criticism is a natural part of life and speaking out, and to know that a certain amount of the criticism you receive may have nothing to do with you, your argument, or the way you are articulating yourself. Some criticism online and in the physical world is neither constructive, nor balanced or intelligent. Some of it is abuse.

  Tara Moss

  Intelligent, Abuse, Criticism

  Source: www.psychologytoday.com

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• Remember, there are two things that keep us oppressed: them and us. We are half of the equation. There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it's now OK to express ourselves publicly. We must make that day ourselves, by speaking out publicly -- first in small numbers, then in greater numbers, until it's simply the way things are and no one thinks twice. Never doubt that we will create this world, because, my friends, we are fortunate to live in a democracy, and in a democracy, we decide what's possible.

  Tammy Baldwin

  Thinking, Small Numbers, Two

  "Tammy Baldwin, Our Voice of the Future" by Kristen Hotham Carroll, www.huffingtonpost.com. November 7, 2012.

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• The rules have changed as information and technology evolve, but it's essential that people stay in the streets, stay visible in their communities, on the news, on the Internet, and in this crucial public discussion. There are a million people just like you (or me), sharing the same doubts, fears, and insecurities that keep us from speaking out. Finding each other in our neighborhoods, online, in the streets - this is what keeps us from believing we're alone, from giving in to hopelessness.

  Nate Powell

  Believe, Technology, People

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

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• When you're fighting for social justice, one of my biggest pet peeves is speaking out of ignorance.

  Eva Longoria

  Ignorance, Fighting, Justice

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• At 11, 12 I thought I was clumsy, ugly, a mess, an unappealing person, but I did have the gift of the gab. I had the school record at Haberdashers for consecutive detentions for simply speaking out of turn.

  Simon Schama

  School, Records, Ugly

  "Lunch with Mariella: Simon Schama". Interview with Mariella Frostrupv, www.theguardian.com. June 19, 2010.

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• I have been working with Women's Aid since 2003 when I became the charity's first Ambassador, and am so pleased to be able to be a part of the 'Real Man' campaign against domestic violence. I studied domestic violence at university and feel passionately that we need to raise awareness of violence against women and children and refuse to ignore it. Just by speaking out against domestic violence and being supportive of those directly affected we can all make a positive difference.

  Will Young

  Children, Real, Men

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• I am really passionate about transparency and trans rights issues, so I embrace these opportunities to speak. I try to stay in touch with those who are prominent in both the trans and transparency movements, but more often than not, I am speaking out on a particular issue on my own. I certainly hope that people listen to me and think about these issues. But regardless of whether I had a public venue to speak in, I would still be passionate about them.

  Chelsea Manning

  Opportunity, Thinking, Issues

  Source: www.interviewmagazine.com

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• I'm not violent, I don't believe in killing people, but standing up for yourself, speaking out against injustice, is another form of vengeance.

  Eva Gabrielsson

  Believe, People, Vengeance

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• So now is the time, more than ever, for those who truly value all the principles of democracy, especially including dissent, to be the most forceful in speaking up, standing up and speaking out.

  Jim Hightower

  Speaking Up, Democracy, Principles

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