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29 Famous Marcus Garvey Quotes: Confidence, Race, God

Famous Marcus Garvey quotes: Marcus Garvey Jr. aka “Black Moses“ was one of the most influential leaders of the global Black community. Born the last of 11 children in 1887 in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey was self-educated, mostly on his father’s books.

In 1920 Marcus Garvey established the Negro Factories Corporation which included a chain of grocery stores, restaurants, a publishing house, and numerous shops which provided scores of jobs to black Americans.

Garvey would go on to be an orator for the Black Nationalism movement, later inspiring a global movement known as Garveyism. This movement would in turn inspire the Nation of Islam and the Rastafari movement.

Marcus Garvey left us with numerous inspiring quotes on love, intelligence, racism, emancipation, and confidence that are still as powerful and relevant as they were a century ago. Here are our favorite famous Marcus Garvey quotes: (please share or Pin!)

Marcus Garvey Quotes: Confidence | Emancipate Yourselves | Racism | God

1. Famous Marcus Garvey Quotes:

“Intelligence rules the world, ignorance carries the burden…“

The ends you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself but the ends you serve that are for all, in common, will take you into eternity.

“It is your mind that rules the body. You cannot go further than that mind to seek truth and to know truth and to react to truth.” – Marcus Garvey

“You at this time can only be destroyed by yourselves, from within and not from without. You have reached the point where the victory is to be won from within and can only be lost from within.“

“Take advantage of every opportunity; where there is none, make it for yourself.”

“The pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue is mightier than them both put together.”

“Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.”

2. Quotes About Confidence

If you haven’t confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.”

“I trust that you will so live today as to realize that you are masters of your own destiny, masters of your fate; if there is anything you want in this world, it is for you to strike out with confidence and faith in self and reach for it.”

“Let no voice but your own speak to you from the depths. Let no influence but your own raise you in time of peace and time of war. Here all, but attend only that which concerns you.” – Marcus Garvey

“Among some of the organized methods used to control the world is the thing known and called PROPAGANDA. Propaganda has done more to defeat the good intentions of races and nations than even open warfare. Propaganda is a method or medium used by organized peoples to convert others against their will. We of the Negro race are suffering more than any other race in the world from propaganda… propaganda to destroy our hopes, our ambitions and our confidence in self.”

“Go to work! Go to work in the morn of a new creation… until you have reached the height of self-progress, and from that pinnacle bestow upon the world a civilization of your own.”

“Look for me in a whirlwind or a storm.”

“To be once defeated is to find cause for an everlasting struggle to reach the top.” – Marcus Garvey quote

3. “Emancipate Yourselves from Mental Slavery” Quote + T-Shirt

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is our only ruler; sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind because man is related to man under all circumstances for good or ill.” – Marcus Garvey 1937

Bob Marley fans will recognize part of this famous Marcus Garvey quote from the lyrics of Redemption Song!

Bob changed the quote a little bit to, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds.” – Bob Marley, Redemption Song 1980

4. Quotes on Race & Racism:

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

“The race needs workers at this time, not plagiarists, sopists and mere imitators; but men and women who are able to create, to originate and improve, and thus make an independent racial contribution to the world and civilization.” – Marcus Garvey

“Having had the wrong education as a start in his racial career, the Negro has become his own greatest enemy. Most of the trouble I have had in advancing the cause of the race has come from Negroes.” – Marcus Garvey

Booker Washington aptly described the race in one of his lectures by stating that we were like crabs in a barrel, that none would allow the other to climb over, but on any such attempt, all would continue to pull back into the barrel the one crab that would make the effort to climb out. Yet, those of us with vision cannot desert the race, leaving it to suffer and die.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey

Related: Famous John Lewis Quotes

“If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.” – Marcus Garvey

“We are entitled to our own opinions and not obligated to or bound by the opinions of others.”

“Chance has never yet satisfied the hope of a suffering people.” – Marcus Garvey quote

“We believe in the supreme authority of our race in all things racial.”

“Men, there is much to live for, and there is much to die for. The man, the race of nation that is not prepared to risk life itself for the possession of an ideal, shall lose that ideal. If you, I repeat, must be free, you yourselves must strike the blow.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey

Related: Famous Harriet Tubman Quotes

“I have no desire to take all black people back to Africa; there are blacks who are no good here and will likewise be no good there.” – Marcus Garvey

“Great principles, great ideals know no nationality.” – Marcus Garvey

“Being satisfied to drink the dregs from the cup of human progress will not demonstrate our fitness as a people to exist alongside of others, but when of our own initiative we strike out to build industries, governments, and ultimately empires, then and only then will we as a race prove to our creator and to man in general that we are fit to survive and capable of shaping our own destiny.”

“I regard the Klan, the Anglo-Saxon clubs, and White American societies, as far as the Negro is concerned, as better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together.”

*Adam and Eve Free Shipping codes listed here

5. Marcus Garvey Quotes About God

“Some of us seem to accept the fatalist position, the fatalist attitude, that God accorded to us a certain position and condition, and therefore there is no need trying to be otherwise. The moment you accept such an attitude, the moment you accept such an opinion, the moment you harbor such an idea, you hurl an insult at the great God who created you, because you question Him for His love, you question Him for His mercy.” – Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey

“God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.” – famous Marcus Garvey quotation

“God acts indifferently and his plan and purpose is generally worked out through the agency of human action. In his directed, inspired prophecy, he promised that Ethiopia’s day would come, not by the world-changing towards us, but by our stretching out our hands unto him.”

25 Best John Lewis Quotes: Voting, Education, Good Trouble!

John Lewis recently died at age 80 after devoting his life to the struggle for equality and equal rights. After many years as an activist and organizer, John Lewis served in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 2020. John Lewis organized the March on Washington with MLK, served on the Atlanta City Council, and was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

John Lewis was one of the most inspiring voices of his generation, and his words often inspired action for justice. Here are some of John Lewis’ best and most famous quotes on voting, good trouble, and “if you see something.”

Best John Lewis Quotes:

“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.” – John Lewis, 1963 March on Washington

• “To those who have said, ‘Be patient and wait,’ we have long said that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again.” – John Lewis, March on Washington speech

• “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.” – From John Lewis’ memoir, Across That Bridge

1. Quotes on Faith, Civil Rights

• “Faith is being so sure of what the spirit has whispered in your heart that your belief in its eventuality is unshakable.” – John Lewis quote from his book Across that Bridge

“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” – John Lewis

• “The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.” – John Lewis quote

• “We have been too quiet for too long. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.” – John Lewis quote, 2016 House sit-in soon after Pulse shooting in Orlando

• “Despite real progress, I can’t help but think of young Emmett [Till] today as I watch video after video after video of unarmed Black Americans being killed, and falsely accused. My heart breaks for these men and women, their families, and the country that let them down – again.”

2. Quotes on Voting:

“My dear friends: Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.” – John Lewis quote on voting, 2012 speech in Charlotte, North Carolina

• “Sometimes you have to not just dream about what could be—you get out and push, and you pull, and you preach. And you create a climate and environment to get those in high places, to get men and women of goodwill in power to act.“ — John Lewis on his continuing dedication to nonviolence while reflecting on the March on Washington with Bill Moyers

“We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.” – John Lewis

We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us. #goodtrouble
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) July 11, 2016

3. Quotes About Selma

• “I say to people today, ‘You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.” – John Lewis

john lewis edmund pettis bridge — Photo credit: Joe Raedle / Getty

• “Selma is a place where we injected something very meaningful into our democracy. We opened up the political process and made it possible for hundreds and thousands and millions of people to come in and be participants.” – John Lewis quote on Selma

• “Fifty years later, those of us who are committed to the cause of justice need to pace ourselves because the struggle does not last for one day, one week, or one year, but it is the struggle of a lifetime, and each generation must do its part.” – John Lewis

john lewis quote voting — Photo credit: Alex Wong

• “If you’re not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up. You have to take the long hard look and just believe that if you’re consistent, you will succeed.” – John Lewis

*Famous Marcus Garvey Quotes

4. Quotes on God:

• “We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and someway, God almighty helped me here. We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize.” – John Lewis on Selma

• “Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet.” – John Lewis, Across That Bridge

• “You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone – any person or any force – dampen, dim, or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant.” – Quote from John Lewis’ 2017 memoir, Across That Bridge

john lewis march quote — Photo credit: Ron Harris AP

• “My fellow Americans, this is a special moment in our history. Just as people of all faiths and no faiths, and all backgrounds, creeds, and colors banded together decades ago to fight for equality and justice in a peaceful, orderly, non-violent fashion, we must do so again.” – John Lewis on George Floyd’s death

*Best LeBron James Quotes

5. “If You See Something” Quote

“When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’ For some, this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.” – John Lewis, Dec. 2019 remarks in the House on the impeachment of President Donald Trump

6. Quotes on Love

• “What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and it’s grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible.” – John Lewis

• “What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and it’s grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible.” – John Lewis quote

*History of the “Death & Taxes” Quote

7. Good Trouble Quote:

• “I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble.” – John Lewis

• “It was very moving, very moving to see hundreds and thousands of people from all over America and around the world take to the streets to speak up, to speak out, to get into what I call ‘good trouble,’ but to get in the way, and because of the action of young and old, Black, white, Latino, Asian-American, and Native American, because people cried and prayed, people will never, ever forget what happened and how it happened, and it is my hope that we are on our way to greater change.” – on Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death.

• “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” – John Lewis tweet, June 2018

• “Rosa Parks inspired me to find a way to get in the way, to get in trouble… good trouble, necessary trouble.” – John Lewis

Related: Harriet Tubman Quotes

8. Never Give Up

• “I believe that you see something that you want to get done, you cannot give up, and you cannot give in.” – John Lewis

• “You must be bold, brave, and courageous and find a way… to get in the way.” – John Lewis

• “These young people are saying we all have a right to know what is in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and the food we eat. It is our responsibility to leave this planet cleaner and greener. That must be our legacy.” John Lewis on youth climate activists Sept. 2019

9. Quotes About John Lewis

• After John Lewis’ death, French President, Emmanuel Macron, said of John, “A lifetime of struggle for civil rights. A lifetime of getting into ‘good trouble,’ of fighting for a world that is more just. A true hero. Indeed, ‘because of you, John.”

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• “Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did, and thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”

Harriet Tubman Quotes: Freedom, God, Every Great Dream

Famous Harriet Tubman famous quotes and sayings: There are few women in American history more inspiring than Harriet Tubman. Born in the early 1820’s in the slave state of Maryland, her childhood was unhappy. Like most slaves, she was abused, separated from family, and her future looked bleak.

However, her desire for freedom was greater than her despair, and then one night in 1849 she had enough and was quoted as saying, “we out!” This made it clear that one way or another she was done with living as a slave.

Harriet Tubman Quotes: Every Great Dream | Freedom & Slavery | We Out | God

Guided by the North Star, Harriet Tubman escaped her owners on foot by night. Through a network of safe houses called the Underground Railroad, she escaped danger and slave catchers all the way to the free state of Pennsylvania.

Gaining her own freedom was just the beginning for Harriet Tubman. She then returned to the Underground Railroad to help free scores of slaves from the South. Tubman was Dubbed, “Moses” for leading her people to freedom, including her own children and several other family members. She also famously never lost a single “passenger” on the Underground Railroad.

Harriet Tubman left behind an incredible legacy of civil rights, and her courage changed the world. Here are the most famous Harriet Tubman quotes on slavery and freedom, God, and “every great dream” for inspiration:

1. Every Great Dream Quote:

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman

2. Quotes on Slavery & Freedom:

“I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive. of freedom, keep going.”
– Harriet Tubman

“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”
– Harriet Tubman

“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”
– Harriet Tubman

“I had crossed the line. I was free; but, there was no one there to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.”
– Harriet Tubman

“I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now that I was free.”
– Harriet Tubman

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
*Attribution of this quote to Harriet Tubman is disputed

3. “We Out!” Quote:

“We out.” – Harriet Tubman

One night in 1849 Harriet Tubman decided that she was done being a slave. She reportedly was quoted as saying, “we out,” shortly before starting her bold escape to the North.

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4. Quotes On God:

“God’s time is always near. He gave me my strength and he set the North Star in the heavens. He meant I should be free.”
– Harriet Tubman

“It wasn’t me, it was the Lord! I always told Him, ‘I trust to you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,’ and He always did.”
– Harriet Tubman

“And I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since.”
– Harriet Tubman

Oh, Lord! You’ve been with me in six troubles, don’t desert me in the seventh!

5. Quotes About Harriet Tubman

I bring you one of the best and bravest persons on this continent, “General Tubman” as we call her.
John Brown, 1898

“Most that I have done and suffered in the service of our cause has been in public, and I have received much encouragement at every step of the way. You, on the other hand, have labored in a private way. I have wrought in the day – you in the night. I have had the applause of the crowd and the satisfaction that comes of being approved by the multitude, while the most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scarred, and foot-sore bondmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt, “God bless you” has been your only reward.

The midnight sky and the silent stars have been the witnesses of your devotion to freedom and of your heroism. Excepting John Brown – of sacred memory – I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than you have. Much that you have done would seem improbable to those who do not know you as I know you.

It is to me a great pleasure and a great privilege to bear testimony to your character and your works, and to say to those to whom you may come, that I regard you in every way truthful and trustworthy.”
Frederick Douglas letter to Harriet Tubman, 1868

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Harriet Tubman leaves behind an incredible legacy. In fact, Congress declared March 10th “Harriet Tubman Day to commemorate the anniversary of her death in 1913 in honor of her, “courageous and dedicated pursuit of the promise of American ideals and common principles of humanity continues to serve and inspire all people who cherish freedom.”

“I am where I am because of the bridges that I crossed. Sojourner Truth was a bridge. Harriet Tubman was a bridge. Ida B. Wells was a bridge…”
Oprah Winfrey quote, Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul

“I never met any person of any color who had more confidence in the voice of God.”
Thomas Garret, quote from Sounding Forth the Trumpet

“I have known Harriet long, and a nobler, higher spirit or a truer, seldom dwells in human form.”
William H. Seward quote, 1898

Conclusion:

Few women or men loom larger in American history than Harriet Tubman.

In addition to her heroism in the Underground Railroad, Ms. Tubman also served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a cook, nurse, scout, and spy. She also helped establish the National Association of Colored Women.

By sharing these Harriet Tubman Quotes, we honor Ms. Tubman’s legacy and commitment to ensuring the freedom of so many others. We also have some famous quotes from John Lewis and Marcus Garvey. Thanks for visiting Black Alliance!