Cesar Chavez Quotes

To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.

True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.

The people united will never be defeated.

Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.

Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life.

Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak... Non-violence is hard work.

In giving of yourself, you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love.

You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read.

A symbol is an important thing. That is why we chose an Aztec eagle. It gives pride...When people see it they know it means dignity.

If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.

The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.

You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.

It's ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves.

What I do shows people what kind of person I am.

From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.

Together, all things are possible

The people who give you their food give you their heart.

In 1968, I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry, and unhappy like we do.

We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.

We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community - and this nation.

There's no turning back...We will win. We are winning because ours is a revolution of mind and heart.

We have looked into the future and the future is ours.

The love for justice that is in us is not only the best part of our being but it is also the most true to our nature.

Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves - and be free.

Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?

There is enough love and good will in our movement to give energy to our struggle and still have plenty left over to break down and change the climate of hate and fear around us.

In the final analysis it doesn't really matter what the political system is...We don't need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation.

Being of service is not enough. You must become a servant of the people. When you do, you can demand their commitment in return.

[We believe that unions have always been about much more than the industries in which they operate.] The fight is never about grapes or lettuce, ... It is always about people.

Never, never is it possible to reach someone if you become angry or bitter only love and gentleness can do it. Maybe not this time but maybe the next or the hundredth time.

There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance.

I am an organizer, not a union leader. A good organizer has to work hard and long. There are no shortcuts. You just keep talking to people, working with them, sharing, exchanging and they come along.

Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed.

We must understand that the highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of discipline.

When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.

When you sacrifice, you force others to sacrifice. It's an extremely powerful weapon.

Our very lives are dependent, for sustenance, on the sweat and sacrifice of the campesinos. Children of farm workers should be as proud of their parents' professions as other children are of theirs.

Our language is the reflection of ourselves.

Concentration is inspiration. You must be completely overtaken by your work and your subject. Only then do all your influences and experience come up to the surface.

Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.

When any person suffers for someone in greater need, that person is a human.

I'm not going to ask for anything unless the workers want it. If they want it, they'll ask for it.

There are many reasons for why a man does what de does. To be himself he must be able to give it all. If a leader cannot give it all he cannot expect his people to give anything.

Just as Dr. King was a disciple of Gandhi and Christ, we must now be Dr. King's disciples. Dr. King challenged us to work for a greater humanity. I only hope that we are worthy of his challenge.

It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life.

When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are.

There's no reason to be non-violent. There's no challenge unless you are living for people.

I've always maintained that it isn't the form that's going to make the difference. It isn't the rule or the procedure or the ideology, but it's human beings that will make it.

The non-violent technique does not depend for its success on the goodwill of the oppressor, but rather on the unfailing assistance of God.