Zitat des Tages von Cesar Chavez:
It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice.
Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?
When poor people get involved in a long conflict, such as a strike or a civil rights drive, and the pressure increases each day, there is a deep need for spiritual advice. Without it, we see families crumble, leadership weaken, and hard workers grow tired.
Who gets the risks? The risks are given to the consumer, the unsuspecting consumer and the poor work force. And who gets the benefits? The benefits are only for the corporations, for the money makers.
We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community - and this nation.
From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.
There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.
In some cases non-violence requires more militancy than violence.
Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.
We farm workers are closest to food production. We were the first to recognize the serious health hazards of agriculture pesticides to both consumers and ourselves.
What we do know absolutely is that human lives are worth more than grapes and that innocent-looking grapes on the table may disguise poisonous residues hidden deep inside where washing cannot reach.
Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.
There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.
We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.
Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves - and be free.
You are never strong enough that you don't need help.
To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men!
There are vivid memories from my childhood - what we had to go through because of low wages and the conditions, basically because there was no union. I suppose, if I wanted to be fair, I could say that I'm trying to settle a personal score. I could dramatize it by saying that I want to bring social justice to farm workers.
The burdens of generations of poverty and powerlessness lie heavy in the fields of America. If we fail, there are those who will see violence as the shortcut to change.
