Van Jones Quotes

Civil Rights Advocate

Van Jones is a civil rights advocate and political activist, born on September 20, 1968. He is known for his involvement in social and environmental justice movements, particularly in the fight against climate change and racial inequality.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Trump Ifs Energy Thinking Green Jobs Should Community America Needs Climate Country Clean Economy Government Fighting Want Problem States

Famous Van Jones Quotes

“There are only two ways to have a middle class in your country: either you have highly skilled manufacturing jobs, or you have a highly skilled, well trained, knowledge-based workforce. In other words, college.”

Way Wells Two Country Jobs Class Middle College Middle Class Two Ways Manufacturing Workforce

Author:Van Jones

“That we could live in a country with no rules for the rich, no rights for the poor, and no middle class to speak of, is wrong; it's a crime against the next generation and we've got to do something about it.”

Country Next Speak Poor Class Rich Rights Generations Middle Crime Middle Class Next Generation

Author:Van Jones

“America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration rates and pollution. We can be a better country. I think we're going to be a better country.”

Thinking World Should Humans War Country America Rights Solutions Green Clean Rate Human Rights Pollution Incarceration

Author:Van Jones

“To green our country, regular people will have to put on hard hats and work boots, roll up their sleeves - and get to work.”

People Country Hard Green Our Country Hats Boots Sleeves

Author:Van Jones

“We should tell people we are working to protect our country. We are working to make America stronger for the long run.”

People Should Long Country Running America Protect Stronger Our Country Long Runs

Author:Van Jones

“I think there's going to be a tug of war in this country over who are the real patriots because at a time of national crisis, economic collapse and calamity, ecological peril and social dislocation, the American people deserve to be a partner to the American government.”

People Thinking War Real Country Government Social Economic Deserve Crisis Partners Collapse Patriot Peril Calamity Ecological American Government Dislocation Tug Of War Economic Collapse

Author:Van Jones

“I learned more in those six months [ in the White House] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who has had the privilege to serve the country at that level should walk out and behave like a crybaby. And I plan to continue to serve the country in other capacities.”

Thinking Should Years Country House White Walks Levels Plans Months Six Capacity Privilege Behave White House Six Months Crybabies

Author:Van Jones

“The progressives have a challenge. Part of it is that you now have a lot of progressives who feel that 50 million, 60 million people voted to endorse the toxic parts of Donald Trump, that suddenly we now are in a country, you know, surrounded by people who, you know, are proud to be, you know, a part of this alt-right thing and they think it was an alt-right takeover.”

People Thinking Knows Feels Country Challenges Millions Trump Proud Right Thing Toxic Be You Takeovers Who You Know

Author:Van Jones

“Ninth generation American, ma'am, and I'm the first one in my family born with all my rights. I'm a ninth generation American. And so we have not escaped because I went to Yale all the problems of this country.”

Firsts Country Problem Born Rights Generations My Family Yale

Author:Van Jones

“The Trump phenomenon has a lot of really good stuff in it, the anti-elitism, the concern for America's economy in the Rust Belt, the desire to see better days for the country. That's all great stuff. Some of that stuff is Bernie Sanders stuff. The problem is that it's marbled through with xenophobia and misogyny and bigotry.”

Country Problem America Desire Stuff Economy Trump Concern Bigotry Phenomenon Misogyny Belts Rust Xenophobia Elitism Better Days

Author:Van Jones

“Rich countries do civil wars with tweets and votes.”

War Country Rich Vote Civil War Tweet Rich Countries

Author:Van Jones

“In countries where there are real civil wars, people go through a lot, and we should be willing to go through a lot to help them.”

People Should War Real Country Helping Willing Civil War

Author:Van Jones

“We're going to do three things: teach-ins across the country so people can learn about each other's issues and causes; parties with a purpose so we can shake our butts and not let this man steal our joy; and we're going to do big concerts and revivals with some of the biggest artists in the world. If [Donald] Trump can have 20,000 people for big hate rallies then we can have 40,000 people in arenas for love rallies.”

People Ifs Men World Country Bigs Joy Purpose Artist Hate Three Causes Party Teach Issues Trump Stealing Shakes Concerts Arena Three Things Revival

Author:Van Jones

“The boundless capacity of the African American spirit in this country to say Hallelujah anyhow, to use our joy as a weapon, to use our creativity as a weapon, to use our moral clarity and our deep experience as a weapon not just to save Black people but to save all of these people.”

People Country Use Joy Spirit Black Moral Creativity Weapons Capacity Clarity African American Black People Boundless Hallelujah American Spirit

Author:Van Jones

“You know it's not "you have to see it to believe it" - sometimes you have to believe it to see it. You have to know what you're looking for when you're seeing signs of an authoritarian takeover of your country.”

Knows Believe Country Sometimes Seeing Takeovers

Author:Van Jones

“Steve Bannon is the biggest threat to democracy that we've faced since the Civil War, but in the Civil War the champion of democracy was in the White House. So, even then, we were probably in less danger as a country than we are right now.”

War Country House White Democracy Danger Right Now Threat Champion Civil War White House

Author:Van Jones

“I want the coal miners, who've been American heroes, who kept the lights put on for black people and white people for a hundred years, and who now are too sick to work, I want them to be able to go see a doctor. I don't care who they vote for. I don't care if they vote for a Tea Party Republican, I'm fighting for you because I voted for you to live in a country where we don't have disposable people.”

“The reality is if you take any three people and look at their cellphones or blackberries and facebook pages, you can get to almost everywhere in the country, because we're networked together in a way that is incredibly powerful.”

People Country Reality Together Powerful

Author:Van Jones

“We should use the transition to a better energy strategy as an opportunity to create a better economy and a better country all around.”

Should Country Use Opportunity Energy Economy Strategy Transition

Book:The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

Source: The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

“The time has come for a public-private community partnership to fix this country and put it back to work.”

Country Community Climate Partnership Back To Work

Book:The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

Source: The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

“We just want government to be a smart, supportive, reliable partner to the forces that are working for good in this country.”

Want Country Government Force Smart Climate Partners Supportive

Book:The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

Source: The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

“When you take the people who most need work and connect them with the work that most needs doing, you save. You save that young person’s life, you save a whole bunch of money, and you save the soul of this country when you invest and give people a chance, give people hope, give people opportunity.”

People Needs Giving Persons Soul Country Whole Young Opportunity Chance Bunch Doing You

Author:Van Jones

About the Author

Born: September 20, 1968
Known for: Civil Rights Advocate
Quotes: 303

Books & Sources

The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest ProblemsRelated source material

Rebuild the DreamRelated source material

Similar Authors

David BrooksBrowse related quotes
Kellyanne ConwayBrowse related quotes
Hillary ClintonBrowse related quotes
Mike PenceBrowse related quotes
Rush LimbaughBrowse related quotes
Marco RubioBrowse related quotes
Bernie SandersBrowse related quotes
Jill SteinBrowse related quotes
Jeff SessionsBrowse related quotes
Newt GingrichBrowse related quotes