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Social Change Quotes

Browse 498 quotes about Social Change.

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Social Change Quotes

“Through education we seek to change attitudes; through legislation and court orders we seek to regulate behavior. Through education we seek to change internal feelings (prejudice, hate, etc.); through legislation and court orders we seek to control the external effects of those feelings. Through education we seek to break down the spiritual barriers to integration; through legislation and court orders we seek to break down the physical barriers to integration. One method is not a substitute for the other, but a meaningful and necessary supplement.”

FeelingsChangeRaceEducationBehaviorRacismActivismLegislationSocial ChangeCourt Orders
Book:Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
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“As a result of the failure of the moral forces of the nation to mobilize behind school integration, the forces of defeat were given the chance to organize and crystallize their opposition. While the good people stood silently and complacently by, the misguided people acted. If every church and synagogue had developed an action program; if every civic and social welfare organization, every labor union and educational institution, had worked out concrete plans for implementing their righteous resolutions; if the press, radio, and television had turned their powerful instruments in the direction of educating and elevating the people on this issue; if the President and the Congress had taken a forthright stand; if these things had happened, federal troops might not have been forced to walk the corridors of Central High School. But it is still not too late to act. Every crisis has both its dangers and opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom. In the present crisis America can achieve either racial justice or the ultimate social psychosis that can only lead to domestic suicide. The democratic ideal of freedom and equality will be fulfilled for all--or all human beings will share in the resulting social and spiritual doom. In short, this crisis has the potential for democracy's fulfillment or fascism's triumph; for social progress or retrogression. We can choose either to walk the high road of human brotherhood or to tread the low road of man's inhumanity to man. History has thrust upon our generation an indescribably important destiny--to complete a process of democratization which our nation has too long developed too slowly, but which is our most powerful weapon for world respect and emulation. How we deal with this crucial situation will determine our moral health as individuals, our cultural health as a region, our political health as a nation, and our prestige as a leader of the free world. The future of America is bound up with the solution of the present crisis. The shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of a faltering democracy. The United States cannot hope to attain the respect of the vital and growing colored nations of the world unless it remedies its racial problems at home. If America is to remain a first-class nation, it cannot have a second-class citizenship. A solution of the present crisis will not take place unless men and women work for it. Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Without persistent effort, time itself becomes an ally of the insurgent and primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social destruction. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action. It is the shame of the sunshine patriots if the foregoing paragraphs have a hollow sound, like an echo of countless political speeches. These things must be repeated time and again, for men forget quickly; but once said, they must be followed with a dynamic program, or else they become a refuge for those who shy from any action. If America is to respond creatively to the present crisis, many groups and agencies must rise above the reiteration of generalities and begin to take an active part in changing the face of their nation.”

AmericaChangeUnited StatesDemocracySocial JusticeActivismCivil RightsFascismSocial ChangeOrganizing
Book:Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
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“The nonviolent approach provides an answer to the long debated question of gradualism versus immediacy. On the one hand it prevents one from falling into the sort of patience which is an excuse for do-nothingism and escapism, ending up in standstillism. On the other hand it saves one from the irresponsible words which estrange without reconciling and the hasty judgment which is blind to the necessities of social progress. It recognizes the need for moving toward the goal of justice with wise restraint and calm reasonableness. But it also recognizes the immorality of slowing up in the move toward justice and capitulating to the guardians of an unjust status quo. It recognizes that social change cannot come overnight. But it causes one to work as if it were a possibility the next morning.”

ChangeJusticeSocial JusticeActivismNonviolencePossibilitiesSocial ChangeNonviolent ResistanceOrganizing
Book:Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
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“Given the all-too-common political dysfunction and gridlock in government these days, change and progress on tough social issues via corporate social activism not only is more appealing but also can be more effective. Corporations and their executives can move more swiftly than government to accommodate change, customer sentiments, and social norms in ways that a dysfunctional political process simply cannot.”

ActivismCorporateCorporationsSocial ChangeCorporate Social ResponsibilityActivism Or ActivistCorporate Social Activism
Book:The Capitalist and the Activist: Corporate Social Activism and the New Business of Change
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“Let death come in its most vicious form - I as an accountable human accept it with utter grace - we the humans accept it with utter glory - for if we don't die, children cannot play in the park - if we do not die, lovers cannot walk freely hand in hand - if we do not die, the elderly cannot enjoy their favorite tv series over a cup of coffee. But mark you, our first duty is not to die for nothing - but to live for the society - if we live and work for society, justice will live, inclusion will live, acceptance will live, peace will live - if we live and work for society, only then will the society live.”

SacrificeSocial JusticeHumanitarianActivismService Of HumanitySelflessSocial ChangeReformerLionheartSocial Reformation
Book:Martyr Meets World: To Solve The Hard Problem of Inhumanity
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“We are beginning to understand that the world is always being made fresh and never finished; that activism can be the journey rather than the arrival; that's struggle doesn't always have to be confrontational but can take the form of reaching out to find common ground with the many others in our society who are also seeking ways out from alienation, isolation, privatization, and dehumanization by corporate globalization.”

ActivismSocial Change
Book:The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
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“Every crisis, actual or impending, needs to be viewed as an opportunity to bring about profound changes in our society. Going beyond protest organizing, visionary organizing begins by creating images and stories of the future that help us imagine and create alternatives to the existing system.”

ActivismSocial ChangeVisionary Organizing
Book:The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
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“If we truly believe in the power of cultural institutions to impact communities and engage authentically with social justice issues, if we believe in museums’ capacity to bring about social change, improve cultural awareness, and even transform the world, than we must also believe that our internal practices have an impact, and must act according to the changes we seek.”

HistorySocial JusticeActivismMuseumsAfrican AmericansSocial ChangeThe ArtsCultural Awareness
Author:Monica O Montgomery
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“Still, it becomes clearer every day that organizing or joining massive protests and demanding new policies fail to sufficiently address the crisis we face. They may demonstrate that we are on the right side politically, but they are not transformative enough. They do not change the cultural images or the symbols that play such a pivotal role in molding us into who we are.”

ActivismSocial Change
Book:The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
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“The space between the private and the public is the nexus of the personal and the social, if not political. It’s where we meet the strong or subtle cultural censors who attempt to define what community, race, class, or gender can or cannot speak, to tell us which stories are told and valued and which are not. In short, it’s where we’re reminded of the power of personal stories and the power of the storyteller.”

PoliticalActivismStorytellingStoryCensorshipSocial ChangeAdvocacyPersonal
Book:Living Proof: Telling Your Story to Make a Difference
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“Mental illness is not a fraternity or a social club for like minds. It is its own religion to each person that has it. Their mind is their pastor, their feelings are their scriptures and their delusions are their own bible story. To break them free, is to break their faith in signs. That is why so many feel lost.”

MindDifferentPhilosophyReligionChoicesLostEducationAttitudeCompassionBeautyPerspectivePerceptionEmpathyBibleIntelligenceActivismDiscriminationMental IllnessDaily LifeBiasSocial ChangeGiftsBrillianceIntrospectiveDivergentGreat ThinkersInner BattlesBringchangetomind Com
Author:Shannon L. Alder
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“I no longer follow the voices of the sane. I follow the ill because they see farther, feel much more and change what the sane will not. This is the paradox of philosophers---trying to understand mass delusion among great people that have faith and knowledge, yet they can’t graduate from their institutions of religious theology to apply the knowledge they have gained for the shifting of Zion---- from words to action; from comfort to uncomfortable; from self serving to self giving; from competition to supporting; to tradition to unity; from bias to acceptance; from me to us.”

FaithHumanityChoicesPassionDangerSorrowComfortLivingBraveryCompetitionActivismIronyInsanityUncomfortableServiceParadoxMediocrityAnimal RightsApathyBiasHomelessHopelessnessSocial ChangeEnvironmentalismInactionReformationWildMeUsWildnessHomeless PeopleLive With PurposeFind Your PassionFreedom FightersReligious HypocrisyLazynessSupportingHumanenessWorld ChangeDark AngelsService ProjectsAccpetanceNot ExistingChrists True MessageHangtown Haven ClosedHomeless CampsLife Around ServiceUnity Through ServiceWarriors From Christ
Author:Shannon L. Alder
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“Truth changes with the season of our emotions. It is the shadow that moves with the phases of our inner sun. When the nights falls, only our perception can guess where it hides in the dark. Within every solar system of the soul lies a plan of what truth is--- the design God has created, in our own unique story. This is as varying as the constellations, and as turning as the tide. It is not one truth we live to, but many. If we ever hope to determine if there is such a thing as truth, apart from cultural and personal preferences, we must acknowledge that we are then aiming to discover something greater than ourselves, something that transcends culture and individual inclinations. Some say that we must look beyond ourselves and outside of ourselves. However, we don’t need to look farther than what is already in each other. If there was any great plan from a higher power it is a simplistic, repetitious theme found in all religions; the basic core importance to unity comes from shared theological and humanistic virtues. Beyond the synagogue, mosques, temples, churches, missionary work, church positions and religious rituals comes a simple “message of truth” found in all of us, that binds theology---holistic virtues combined with purpose is the foundation of spiritual evolution. The diversity among us all is not divided truth, but the opportunity for unity through these shared values. Truth is the framework and roadmap of positive virtues. It unifies diversity when we choose to see it and use it. It is simple message often lost among the rituals, cultural traditions and socializing that goes on behind the chapel doors of any religion or spiritual theology. As we fight among ourselves about what religion, culture or race is right, we often lose site of the simple message any great orator has whispered through time----a simplistic story explaining the importance of virtues, which magically reemphasizes the importance of loving one another through service.”

InspirationalPhilosophyStoriesWisdomTruthPurposeReligionValuesHumanityDifferencesReligiousChristianityHistoryLife PhilosophyPerspectiveEvolutionDiversitySelf ImprovementRespectSelf AwarenessUnityCharityAtheistActivismToleranceTheologyBuddhistServiceRealismWhat MattersAltruismSocial ChangeLife PurposeSpiritual AwakeningRealistOrganized ReligionTrue ReligionBrainwashedTake ActionSocializingHumanisticMissionary WorkTempleChurchesRitualsPhilosophersWorld ProblemsLife PlanLoving One AnotherLife MeaningTruth SeekersTheologiansMosqueOratorSynagoguesCultural DifferenceMissed MessageCutting Through CrapHolistic ValuesLosing SiteMuslamReligion SimplifiedReligious MessageWisdom Simplified
Author:Shannon L. Alder
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“To really change the world, we have to help people change the way they see things.”

PeopleWorldPoliticalSpiritualityPoliticsPeaceChangeChallengesUnitedBusinessRaceVisionPerspectiveEvolutionEmpathyRacismHatredSightUnityToleranceIncomeConsumersMaterialismBigotryDivisionApathySocial ChangeScopeSegregationPeace On EarthChangesThingsBettermentRacialHurdlesClass WarsPsychological Change
Book:Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
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“Today, blacks are no longer the litmus paper or the barometer of social change. Blacks are in every segment of society and there are laws that help to protect them from racial discrimination. The new ‘niggers’ are gays. It is in this sense that gay people are the new barometer for social change. The question of social change should be framed with the most vulnerable group in mind: gay people.”

PeopleShouldMindHelpingTodayLawSocialGroupsGayProtectPaperDiscriminationVulnerableSocial ChangeGay PeopleFramedRacial DiscriminationBarometer
Author:Bayard Rustin
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“A society which makes provision for participation in its good of all its members on equal terms and which secures flexible readjustment of its institutions through interaction of the different forms of associated life is in so far democratic. Such a society must have a type of education which gives individuals a personal interest in social relationships and control, and the habits of mind which secure social changes without introducing disorder.”

GivingMindDifferentFormLife IsIndividualSocialTermInterestTypeHabitEqualMembersInstitutionsDemocraticSecureDisorderInteractionIntroducingParticipationSocial ChangeFlexibleProvisionHabits Of MindPersonal InterestSocial Relationships
Book:Democracy And Education
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“Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White is remarkable for its truth-telling about two important issues concerning Alabama's past and present: the civil rights movement and immigration. These stories, rendered through the words and eyes of a young Latina girl who came from Argentina to Marion, Alabama, are made vivid and immediate through Weaver's highly accessible drawings and dialogue. This is a book-about maturation, family, education, and social change-every schoolchild, parent, and citizen should experience.”

ShouldMadeTwoImportantBookStoriesEyePastYoungGirlSocialParentBlackWhiteIssuesRightsMovementCitizensDrawingImmigrationMemoirDialogueCivil RightsTelling The TruthRemarkableBlack And WhiteSocial ChangeVividCivil Rights MovementAlabamaPast And PresentArgentinaImportant IssuesLatinaWeaversThis Is A BookDarkroomFamily Education
Author:Sena Jeter Naslund
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“For those who have only to obey, law is what the sovereign commands. For the sovereign, in the throes of deciding what he ought to command, this view of law is singularly empty of light and leading. In the dispersed sovereignty of modern states, and especially in times of rapid social change, law must look to the future as well as to history and precedent, and to what is possible and right as well as to what is actual.”

WellsLooksStatesLightLawSocialViewsModernOughtEmptyCommandSovereignSovereigntySocial ChangeRapidsPrecedentLooking To The Future
Author:William Ernest Hocking
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“we should reject the attempt to divert the national conversation away from soaring inequality toward the alleged moral failings of those Americans being left behind. Traditional values aren't as crucial as social conservatives would have you believe — and, in any case, the social changes taking place in America's working class are overwhelmingly the consequence of sharply rising inequality, not its cause.”

ShouldBelieveAmericaValuesLeftSocialCausesBehindsMoralClassCasesFailingConversationConsequenceTraditionalInequalityRisingRejectsCrucialWorking ClassSoarSocial ChangeLeft BehindTraditional Values
Author:Paul Krugman
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“One reason for the primacy of the market in shaping the modern world is that it forces a reorganization of society in order to make the market work properly . When a market comes into existence, as Marx fully appreciated, it becomes a potent force driving social change.”

WorldReasonOrderForceSocialExistenceModernDrivingSocial ChangeAppreciatedModern WorldPrimacyReorganization
Book:The Political Economy of International Relations
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“Steven Tepper's Not Here, Not Now, Not That! offers invaluable insights into how social change and uncertainty drive protests over art. With fresh data and perspectives, Tepper makes a compelling case that cultural conflicts are largely homegrown, tied to each community's shifting demographics and values. It's an eye-opening work.”

ArtEyeValuesSocialCommunityCasesPerspectiveOffersConflictInsightOpeningDataUncertaintyProtestTiedCompellingSocial ChangeShiftingDemographicsInvaluableEye OpeningHomegrown
Author:Ken Paulson
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