American Activist Quotes

There are almost half a million Americans behind bars today for breaking a drug law. The United States incarcerates more people for drug law violations than Western Europe incarcerates for everything, and they have more people than we do. There were 50,000 people behind bars on drug charges in America in 1980; now we have almost a tenfold increase. Yet extraordinarily few politicians are talking about that.

Ethan Nadelmann

If it is unpatriotic to tear down the flag, which is a symbol of the country, why isn't it more unpatriotic to desecrate the country itself-to pollute, despoil and ravage the air, land and sea.

We [Republicans] want you to get rich and the Democrats don't. They want to tax you as if you were rich already.

Grover Norquist

Commerce is no other than the traffic of two individuals, multiplied on a scale of number; and, by the same rule that Nature intended the intercourse of two, she intended that of all!

The whole point is to put yourself into other lives, other heads—writers have always done that.

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

All ye having business before this honorable Court draw nigh, give your attention and ye shall be heard. No, no. Draw nigh and bend over. They're gonna rape you up the butt!

I am never lonely or discouraged or tired. When you live in constant communion with God, you cannot be lonely. When you perceive the working of God's wonderful plan and know that all good effort bears good fruit, you cannot be discouraged. When you have found inner peace, you are in contact with the source of universal energy and cannot be tired.

My job here today, our job, is to tell you the one thing you can count on. The one thing I can guarantee you can expect in life is that you will experience the thoroughly unexpected.

There's a direct relationship between the ballot box and the bread box, and what the union fights for and wins at the bargaining table can be taken away in the legislative halls.

The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.

Muriel Rukeyser

Either Christ is a liar or war is never necessary, and very properly assuming that Christ told the truth, it follows that the State is without [in the words of Father Macksey] 'judicial authority to determine when war is necessary,' because it is never necessary.

I wanted each woman to be a rebellious Vashti, not an Esther.

Margaret Sanger

The most exciting things going on in America today are movements to change America.

One solution might be to impose the duty on admissions officers to arbitrarily admit only half women and half men.

Phyllis Schlafly

On the Vietnamese:

They have never called us nigger.

All you have to do is ask yourselves, who controls the government? And who are the victims of that control?

There's a difference between peace and quiet. Quiet means shut up. Quiet means suffer in silence. Peace means justice. We want peace, but we won't get quiet until we get justice.

There is too much at stake to worry about our own egos. When my son was killed, I had to face the fact that I was somehow also responsible for what happened. Every American that allows this to continue has, to some extent, blood on their hands. Some of us have a little bit, and some of us are soaked in it.

In ancient Rome, the gladiators went into the arena with these words on their lips: let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. Today, all of you young athletes are in the arena. Many of you will win. But even more important, I know you will be brave and bring credit to your parents and to your country. Let us begin the Olympics, thank you.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Writing is an activity that in my experience doesn't get easier with practice. On the contrary.

We need to continue to educate our elected officials and candidates for office on who we are, what we need and why they should stand in solidarity with us.

But the homosexual and abortion lobbies are evil twins with the same agenda. Both want the freedom to commit illicit sex without physical or moral consequences.

Nothing adds such dignity to character as the recognition of one's self- sovereignty.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

She changes everything she touches. And everything she touches changes.