Quotes about Oppression

You can't hold a man down without staying down with him.

The world should not pass judgement upon the Negro, and especially the Negro youth, too quickly or too harshly. The Negro boy has obstacles, discouragements and temptations to battle with that are little known to those not situated as he is.

From his example in this respect I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak. It is now long ago that I learned this lesson from General Armstrong, and resolved that I would permit no man, no matter what his colour might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.

The study of art that does not result in making the strong less willing to suppress the weak means little.

In many cases it seemed to me that the ignorance of my race was being used as a tool with which to help white men into office, and that there was an element in the North which wanted to punish the Southern white men by forcing the Negro into positions over the heads of the Southern whites.

From his example in this respect I learned the lesson that great man cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.

It is not possible for one man to hold another man down in the ditch without staying down there with him.

I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.

Great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.

Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.

Where books are burned, in the end, people will eventually burn too

There is not a man beneath the canopy of Heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.