Rosa Parks Quotes

you must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.

To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.

I believe there is only one race - the human race.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that held its ground.

I am leaving this legacy to all of you...to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die - the dream of freedom and peace.

People have said over the years that the reason I did not give up my seat was because I was tired. I did not think of being physically tired. My feet were not hurting. I was tired in a different way. I was tired of seeing so many men treated as boys and not called by their proper names or titles. I was tired of seeing children and women mistreated and disrespected because of the color of their skin. I was tired of Jim Crow laws, of legally enforced racial segregation.

Nothing in the Golden Rule says that others will treat us as we have treated them. It only says that we must treat others in a way that we would want to be treated.

One person can change the world.

What really matters is not whether we have problems, but how we go through them. We must keep going on to make it through whatever we are facing.

There is work to do; that is why I cannot stop or sit still. As long as a child needs help, as long as people are not free, there will be work to do. As long as an elderly person is attacked or in need of support, there is work to do. As long as we have bigotry and crime, we have work to do.

I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free.

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

As long as people use tactics to oppress or restrict other people from being free, there is work to be done.

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Without a vision the people perish, but without courage dreams die.

Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.

I learned to put my trust in God and to see Him as my strength. Long ago I set my mind to be a free person and not to give in to fear. I always felt that it was my right to defend myself if I could. I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

It takes more than one person to bring about peace - it takes all of us.

If you want to be respected for your actions, then your behavior must be above reproach. If our lives demonstrate that we are peaceful, humble, and trusted, this is recognized by others.

Each person must live their life as a model for others.

I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time… there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.

People need to free their minds of racial prejudice and believe in equality for all and freedom regardless of race. It would be a good thing if all people were treated equally and justly and not be discriminated against because of race or religion or anything that makes them different from others.

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.

Have you ever been hurt and the place tries to heal a bit, and you just pull the scar off of it over and over again.

I knew someone had to take the first step. So I made up my mind not to move.

I thought about Emmett Till, and I could not go back. My legs and feet were not hurting, that is a stereotype. I paid the same fare as others, and I felt violated. I was not going back.

I thought of Emmett Till, and when the bus driver ordered me to move to the back, I just couldn’t move.

I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day.

I will no longer act on the outside in a way that contradicts the truth that I hold deeply inside. I will no longer act as if I were less than the whole person I know myself inwardly to be.

Since I have always been a strong believer in God, I knew that He was with me, and only He could get me through that next step

Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it.

When people made up their minds that they wanted to be free and took action, then there was a change.

I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up.

I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.

When that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night.

If I can sit down for freedom, you can stand up for children.

We didn't have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next. I remember going to sleep as a girl hearing the Klan ride at night and hearing a lynching and being afraid the house would burn down.

Many whites, even white Southerners told me that even though it may have seemed like the blacks were being freed (by my actions) they felt more free and at ease themselves. They thought that my action didn't just free blacks but them, too.

Every day before supper and before we went to services on Sundays. My grandmother would read the Bible to me, and my grandfather would pray. We even had devotions before going to pick cotton in the fields. Prayer and the Bible, became a part of my everyday thoughts and beliefs. I learned to put my trust in God and to seek Him as my strength.

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.

There is a lack of interest in voting in the United States, and that troubles me. It is very necessary that people get registered, study the issues and be aware of the politics of our country. We will really be set back if people don't take the time to learn about the candidates who are concerned about the well-being of all the citizens and vote.

If I stayed angry at other people, I would miss finding friends among those I was angry with.

Knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Black women are very capable of leading our organizations. I believe that firmly.

I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don't think there is anything such as complete happiness. It pains me that there is still a lot of Klan activity and racism. I think when you say you're happy, you have everything that you need and everything that you want, and nothing more to wish for. I haven't reached that stage yet.

Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way.

Victory or defeat? It is the slogan of all-powerful militarism in every belligerent nation. And yet, what can victory bring to the proletariat?

I see the energy of young people as a real force for positive change.

I have spent over half my life teaching love and brotherhood, and I feel that it is better to continue to try to teach or live equality and love than it would be to have hatred or prejudice. Everyone living together in peace and harmony and love - that’s the goal that we seek, and I think that the more people there are who reach that state of mind, the better we will all be.

It is better to protest than to accept injustice.