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Desmond Tutu Quotes

Activist

Desmond Tutu, born on October 7, 1931, was a prominent anti-apartheid activist, theologian, and author from South Africa. He played a significant role in the abolition of apartheid in South Africa and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts.

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All People Ifs Humans World Want Thinking Justice Knows Persons Mean Children Human Beings Way Made Doe Goodness Has Beens Speak South Injustice

Famous Desmond Tutu Quotes

“To treat anyone as if they were less than human, less than a brother or a sister, no matter what they have done, is to contravene the very laws of our humanity.”

Ifs Humans Matter Done Law Humanity Brother Treats No Matter What

Book:The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

Source: The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

“If you recall the happiest moments in your life, they are all from when you were doing something for somebody else.”

Ifs Moments Recalls

Author:Desmond Tutu

“If we have loved well while we were alive, there is life after death here-our love will go on for generations.”

Ifs Love Wells Alive Generations Goes On Our Love After Death Life After Death

Author:Desmond Tutu

“If we succeed in empowering girls, we'll succeed in everything else.”

Ifs Girl Succeed Empowering

Author:Desmond Tutu

“If you are invisible, you are vulnerable. Birth Registration must be everyone's priority. Let's make all children visible and let's give every child a birthday!”

Ifs Giving Children Birth Priorities Invisible Vulnerable Visible Registration

Author:Desmond Tutu

“Too frequently we think we have to do spectacular things. Yet if we remember that the sea is actually made up of drops of water and each drop counts, each one of us can do our little bit where we are. Those little bits can come together and almost overwhelm the world. Each one of us can be an oasis of peace.”

Ifs Thinking World Littles Made Together Remember Bits Water Can Do Sea Little Bit Spectacular Oasis Drop Of Water

Author:Desmond Tutu

“If I diminish you, I diminish myself”

Ifs Diminish

Author:Desmond Tutu

“We can no longer continue feeding our addiction to fossil fuels as if there is no tomorrow. For there will be no tomorrow.”

Ifs Tomorrow Addiction Fuel Feeding Fossils Fossil Fuel

Author:Desmond Tutu

“If we could but recognize our common humanity, that we do belong together, that our destinies are bound up in one another's, that we can be free only together, that we can be human only together, then a glorious world would come into being where all of us lived harmoniously together as members of one family, the human family.”

Ifs World Humans Together Humanity Community Common Destiny Members Bounds Oneness Glorious Our Destiny Human Family Common Humanity

Author:Desmond Tutu

“Have you seen a symphony orchestra? There is a person at the back carrying a triangle. Now and again the conductor will point to him or her and that person will play "ting." That might seem so insignificant, but in the conception of the composer something irreplaceable would be lost to the total beauty of the symphony if that "ting" did not happen.”

Ifs Persons Play Seems Might Happens Would Be Lost Community Conception Composer Insignificant Orchestra Symphony Conductor Triangles Irreplaceable Symphony Orchestras

Author:Desmond Tutu

“I have heard and seen many examples of the cruelty that we are able to visit on one another during my time. . . I have also seen incredible forgiveness and compassion. Yes, each of us has the capacity for great evil. But for every act of evil there are a dozen acts of goodness in our world that go unnoticed. It is only because we believe that people should be good that we despair when they are not. Indeed, if people condoned the evil, we would be justified in losing hope. But most of the world does not. We know that we are meant for better.”

“We get most upset with those we love because they are close to us and we know that they are aware of our weaknesses. . . If only we could learn to live with our inadequacies, our frailties, our vulnerabilities, we would not need to try so hard to push away those who really know us.”

Ifs Knows Needs Trying Hard Love Is Weakness Upset Vulnerability Frailty Inadequacy Those We Love

Author:Desmond Tutu

About the Author

Born: October 7, 1931
Known for: Activist
Quotes: 532

Books & Sources

The words of Desmond TutuRelated source material

God Has A Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our TimesRelated source material

Bishop Desmond Tutu, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: a collection of his recent statements in the struggle for justice in South AfricaRelated source material

No Future Without ForgivenessRelated source material

The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our WorldRelated source material

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing WorldRelated source material

God Is Not A ChristianRelated source material

Made For Goodness: And why this makes all the differenceRelated source material

Hope and SufferingRelated source material

Hope and suffering: sermons and speechesRelated source material

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