Quotessence
Home / Topics / Multiculturalism Quotes

Multiculturalism Quotes

Browse 520 quotes about Multiculturalism.

Related topics

Multiculturalism Quotes

“Human beings evolved to live in small bands with people more or less like themselves. But today, many of us live in wonderfully pluralistic societies. In America, Europe, India, and many other places, we're trying to build mass multicultural democracies, societies that contain people from diverse races and ethnicities, with different ideologies and backgrounds. To survive, pluralistic societies require citizens who can look across difference and show the kind of understanding that is a prerequisite of trust—who can say, at the very least, “I’m beginning to see you. Certainly, I will never fully experience the world as you experience it, but I’m beginning, a bit, to see the world through your eyes.”

“You know, which nation has the nicest people? You cannot guess in a million years. The nation with the nicest people is, Earth, for no nation has exclusive franchise over niceness - goodness is a human quality, not a national one. Nationalism is an animal trait, not a human one. Sacredness is a secular practice, not sectarian. Culture is an act of expansion, not exclusion.”

“Perhaps more than never, in a highly globalized world, we must recognize that multiculturalism is not simply understanding ethnic/racial histories or the mere appreciation of cultural “difference,” but accepting that multiculturalism spreads across the very inner core of America’s institutions, and ingrained in the very essence of life, for multicultural perspectives, ideas, and ideologies empower us to elevate the multicultural discourse to a higher level of social transformation—ultimately, universal equality, justice, respect, and human dignity for all, in all facets of human existence.”

“Isn't content also context? I ask him. Your experiences, your circumstances, the time you live in? Consciousness isn't free-floating; it's enmeshed. That is true, he says, but you know, I believe that the modern diaspora--that so many of us find ourselves somewhere else, migrants of some kind--global, multicultural, less rooted, less dependent on our immediate history of family or country to shape ourselves--all of that is preparing us for a looser and freer understanding of ourselves as content whose context can change. Nationalism is on the rise, I say. He nods. That's a throwback. A fear. A refusal of the future. But the future cannot be refused.”

“English is my second language, My first language is love. Neuroscience is my second sense, My first sense is love. Theology is my second faith, My first faith is interfaith. Philosophy is my second nature, My first nature is to assimilate.”

“The Accidental American (Naskaristana 2753) Five whole years I went from door to door, looking for support, I wanted to build my own tech startup, but all I received was ridicule and advise - finally I withdrew myself from the nation I was born in, and placed all my attention on America - I had zero money, my only assets were my heart and brain, which was all I needed to reshape America, then the whole world. The Naskar you know is a direct outcome of the entrepreneur that never came to life - naskar the youngster failed in his innovation dreams, so Naskar the Civilization emerged as the earth way of life.”

“I am the laboratory (Sonnet 2676) Your dictionaries don't matter, your philosophies don't matter, your scriptures don't matter, your constitutions don't matter, your courts, crowns, vaticans, and washingtons don't matter - bring your brain, heart and backbone, but leave everything else at the door, your dictionary, your scripture, your constitution, your philosophy, or do not enter, there'll be no point. Truth is a garden, not a factory, which means dead leaves must fall, new branches must be tendered to. I am the laboratory, I am the court room, I am the operating theatre, I am the decontamination zone.”

“World Gospel (The Sonnet) So long as there is selfishness, There is no Christmas. So long as there is occupation, There is no Hanukkah. So long as there is cruelty, There is no Ramadan. Till we end militant atheism, There is no Humanism. Till you conquer superstition, There is no Diwali. So long as there is division, There is no Vaisakhi. So long as there is inequality, There is no Fourth of July. Till we abolish hate from earth, At half mast all flags must fly.”

“Letter to My Soldiers I am only the beginning - the beginning of a new kind of humans - humans who belong to not one culture, but many cultures - humans who speak not one language, but many languages - humans who study scriptures and science with equal enthusiasm, yet pledge allegiance to neither, and know how to use both in the benefit of humanity - humans who aim for neither belief nor disbelief, but warmth and understanding - humans who are more concerned with the real hard problem of inhumanity, than the outdated hard problem of consciousness - humans who sacrifice their life treating the real hard question of hate, rather than the mythical hard question of god. I am only the beginning - the first spark, if you may - the best are yet to come.”

“Favoritism is Good (The Sonnet) My favorite language in the world is Turkish, Because its culture electrifies my scars. My favorite language in the East is Telugu, Because its music emboldens my nerves. My favorite language in the West is Spanish, Because it teaches me the worth of freedom. Favorite ancient tongues are Arabic 'n Sanskrit, For one embodies peace, another assimilation. My favorite science of all is electronics, For it empowers my imagination untainted. My favorite philosophy is everyday curiosity, It helps me transcend all sectarian intellect. My favorite religion in the world is service, Because it transforms an animal into human. I don't care what you believe or don't, As long as your behavior speaks compassion. Favoritism is a civilized faculty, when practiced beyond blood and border. Problem is when you see nothing at all, beyond the rim of your family and culture.”

“Vicdansaadet, The Sonnet I have many names, Sometimes I am Hometown Human, Sometimes I am Mucize Insan, Sometimes I am Ingan Impossible, Sometimes I am Mukemmel Musalman, Sometimes I am Dervish Advaitam, Sometimes I am Bulldozer on Duty, Sometimes I am Corazon Calamidad, Sometimes I am High Voltage Habib, Sometimes I am Himalayan Sonneteer, Sometimes I am The Gentalist, Sometimes I am Divane Dynamite, Sometimes I am Rowdy Scientist. These all look and sound so different, because you are distant in culture. Move past the circus of manmade caves, within every heart you'll find a Naskar. Call it Naskar, Shams or Adi Shankara, it is all but one spirit of oneness. Wherever the fire of integration takes hold, there emerges Vicdansaadet.”

“Spangskritlish (Sonnet for Tomorrow's Citizen) जाग्रत, उत्तिष्ठ, जगत् स्कन्धे गृहाण, आत्मानं विस्मरतु, संसारस्य अश्रुमार्जयतु। द्वेषं हिंसां च सर्वं परित्यज्य, जाग्रत, उत्तिष्ठ, सुमनुष्य भवतु। Eres Dios, eres diablo - Lo que decidas, ¡así será! Human destiny is human decision, Somos la iluminación en toda oscuridad. We are the illumination, We are the answer to our prayer. Karanlık bile korkacak bizden, When we rise as each other's keeper. Dolor del mundo es nuestro dolor. While the apes doze, human builds the road.”

“Eres Dios, eres diablo - Lo que decidas, ¡así será! Human destiny is human decision, Somos la iluminación en toda oscuridad. We are the illumination, We are the answer to our prayer. Karanlık bile korkacak bizden, When we rise as each other's keeper. Dolor del mundo es nuestro dolor. While the apes doze, human builds the road.”

“Love Before Language (Sonnet 1227) أعظم الحقيقة هي الحب ، أعظم قانون هو الحب. أعظم إيمان هو الحب ، أعظم وجود هو الحب. प्रेमसत्यं ब्रह्मसत्यम्। प्रेम विना अस्तित्वं नास्ति।। प्रेमदर्शनं ब्रह्मदर्शनम्। प्रेम विना ब्रह्माण्डं नास्ति।। Love happens regardless of facts, Facts happen regardless of love. When love and facts come together, Magic happens in our veins and nerve. Love before language, Heart before heritage. To unify this broken world, I once took the divine pledge.”

“How do we erase phobia from the world? First make a name for yourself, then associate that name to everything the world is ignorantly afraid of. In a pavlovian world where rating-hungry separatist media has conditioned the people to subconsciously relate every act of terror to a specific community, use your life to decondition the world - stand as the first human who is not afraid of humankind. That's why I say - I am a muslim poet, a humanitarian scientist, a latin lover, and an advaitin monk - I am an alternate dimension - an immeasurable dimension - where human oneness takes preference over animal separateness.”

“English is my second language, My first language is love. Neuroscience is my second sense, My first sense is love. Theology is my second faith, My first faith is interfaith. Philosophy is my second nature, My first nature is to assimilate. All labels are second labels, Our native label is human. All tradition is second tradition, Earth's native tradition is compassion.”

“First Language (The Sonnet) English is my second language, My first language is love. Neuroscience is my second sense, My first sense is love. Theology is my second faith, My first faith is interfaith. Philosophy is my second nature, My first nature is to assimilate. Analog is my second passion, My first passion is dialogue. Law is my second task, my first, Is taking beings out of the bog. All labels are second labels, Our native label is human. All tradition is second tradition, Earth's native tradition is compassion.”

“The city of Paris, France, became a place of refuge for biracial Americans during slavery and at the time of the Harlem Renaissance for black musicians, fine artists, writers and others seeking opportunities to practice their craft free from American racism.”

“The Humanity Festival (Interfaith Anthem, 2598-2599) Humanity is the festival, occasions are garments. Beyond the void of us and them, join the circle, break the chains. Festivals are not dates on a calendar, cultures are not places on a map. No festival is sin for no one, there is no culture where we do not belong. Ramadan is the remedy for apathy, Christmas is the cure for animosity, Hanukkah is the antithesis of tyranny, Diwali is the antidote to atrocity. Mercy is no mercy that's reserved for a few, mercy is the light we carry in all we do. The spirit of godliness that we hold inside, is meant to light the world, far and wide. Fasting and feasting turn to futile noise, if life drifts from life, trampling human joys. Candles and fireworks become childish pranks, if underneath them all the kernel is blank. Kindness in our soul, courage in our skin - every person is my people, every stranger is kin. Humanity is the festival, occasions are garments, love is my homeland, heart is my parliament.”