Social Justice Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old social justice quotes, social justice sayings, and social justice proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

When my brothers try to draw a circle to exclude me, I shall draw a larger circle to include them. Where they speak out for the privileges of a puny group, I shall shout for the rights of all mankind. Pauli Murray
Nobody in the world ever wins success or a place of usefulness until he or she is absolutely wedded to a cause. Nannie Helen Burroughs
If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine. Ernesto Che Guevara
The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice. Bryan Stevenson
When justice becomes a commodity in the marketplace of the court system, the citizens must take it upon themselves to conduct a complete overhaul of the very democracy they are living in. Abhijit Naskar
Every social justice movement that I know of has come out of people sitting in small groups, telling their life stories, and discovering that other people have shared similar experiences. Gloria Steinem
Almost certainly, however, the first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind. Norman Borlaug
There is not Communism or Marxism, but representative democracy and social justice in a well-planned economy. Fidel Castro
Every social justice movement that I know of has come out of people sitting in small groups, telling their life stories, and discovering that other people have shared similar experiences. Gloria Steinem
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr.
Our people deserve the world we envision, and that world requires us to birth and build it. Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson
I'm so inspired when I see people who have a way that they do things, have a way that they think about the world, and they're courageous enough to open to listening to what the experiences are of so many of us who want to live in a world that's just and want to live in a world that's equitable. Alicia Garza
This inseparable relationship between humans and the earth, inherent to Indigenous peoples, must be learned, must be embraced and respected by all people for the sake of all of our future generations and all of humanity. I urge all of you, all humanity to join with us in transforming the social structures, the institutions and power relations that underpin conditions of oppression and exploitation. Tom B. K. Goldtooth
Can we see in each other a common humanity and a shared dignity, and recognize how our different experiences have shaped us? Barack Obama
You've had your way a long, long time, / You kings and tyrants, / And still you work injustice hour by hour. / What ails you that do not tread a path of glory? / A man may take the field, although he love the bower. / But some hope a divine leader with prophetic voice / Will rise amid the gazing silent ranks. / An idle thought! There's none to lead but reason, / To point the morning and the evening ways. Abu Ala Al-Ma'ari
Today it is a case of the grasshopper pitted against the elephant. But tomorrow the elephant will have its guts ripped out. Le Loi
If you are really honest about equity and social justice then you have to start thinking about the transformation of your own framework, of your own ways of thinking in order that people are included, so that people come along with you. Chandra Talpade Mohanty
If you're going to hold someone down you're going to have to hold onto the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own system of repression. Toni Morrison
If society is a just society, if it is one which places a premium on social justice and human rights, then racism and intolerance cannot survive. Bayard Rustin
It seems likely that the problem of the twenty-first century will be that of the multiple color lines embedded in the American social order. Claire Jean Kim
Many are attracted to social service—the rewards are immediate, the gratification quick. But if we have social justice, we won't need social service. Julian Bond
Justice is always uncompromising in its claims and inexorable in its demands. The laws of the universe are never repealed to accommodate our follies. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Steve Biko
If the motto "and justice for all" becomes "and justice for those who can afford it," we threaten the very underpinnings of our social contract. Ronald George
Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred. Vandana Shiva
What do you call it when someone steals money secretly? Theft. What do you call it when someone takes money by force? Robbery. What do you call it when a politician takes someone else's money and gives it to someone likely to vote for him? Social Justice. Thomas Sowell
Charity is false, futile and poisonous when offered as a substitute for justice. Henry George
I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept. Angela Davis
Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world. bell hooks