“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
“There was one of two things I had a right to Liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would take the other, no man should take me alive. I should fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted”. – Harriet Tubman
“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
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” – Harriet Tubman
“I had crossed the line. I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.” – 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
Born a slave and named, by her parents, Araminta “Minty” Ross, around the year 1820, she became the most well known of the conductors on The Underground Railroad.ty
She served as a conductor for a decade. The abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison gave her the nickname, “Moses”. It was through her own efforts that she accumulated the funds she would need to continue her mission. Over time, she built a reputation for her deeds and thus supporters helped by providing both shelter and funds for her trips to the south.
Harriet served as a cook, nurse, laundress, spy and scout during the Civil War. She returned to her home in Auburn after the Emancipation Proclamation where she remained for the rest of her life. Her doors remained open to those in need and her earnings from her vegetable garden she added to the funds raised to create schools for the purpose of educating African Americans. She gave speeches on Women’s Rights. While not a leader in the movement, she was a strong supporter and the women who were leaders had supported her efforts in The Underground Railroad. Tubman believed in the equality of all people, black or white, male or female.
Personally, I find it appalling that the sitting President has gone back on the plan of the previous administration to honor Harriet Tubman with her face on the front of the twenty dollar bill and former President Andrew Jackson moved to the back. Trump is determined to undo as many good works from the Obama administration as possible. Unfortunately, it is hardly a surprise that such a racist, misogynistic individual would carry through with the plan. He doesn’t even keep his own promises to the people of the country.
With only a week before elections, I hope each of you will reach deep into your heart and address what you are about and what you are willing to do about it.
Here is a small offering of quotes to ponder and it is my sincere hope that when you do go to vote, your conscience goes with you. Do you listen to all the hype or can you still think for yourself? It is often the one pointing the finger at others that has the most to hide. There are agendas and there are hidden agendas that you will not be apprised of until the opportunity to have your say is gone. The country has not been so divided since the Civil War and as things continue in the current regime, that seems to be the direction that the country is heading toward. Of course, another possible outcome could be another war. If so, who would be your allies? As things stand now, the administration and conservative media, have alienated allies of the past and left the nation most vulnerable. They have declared war on the environment. Pushed to the brink, the planet will survive, but will humanity? Yet the administration has trampled every protection for the environment and done all that it could to escalate global warming. I could go on, but I would rather just get to the quotes and hope you take some time, soul-searching. What kind of world and what kind of life are you bequeathing your progeny?
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” – Socrates
“The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil.” – James Monroe
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
“Indifference, to me is the epitome of all evil.” – Elie Wiesel
“The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” – William Shakespeare
“Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.” – Jerry Garcia
“Moral evil is the immorality and pain and suffering and tragedy that come because we choose to be selfish, arrogant, uncaring, hateful and abusive.” – Lee Strobel
“Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“The secret to happiness is freedom… and the secret to freedom is courage.’ – Thucydides
“Hypocrisy is the mother of all evil and racial prejudice is still her favorite child.” – Don King
“Apathy is the overrated protection of that rock you’re hiding under.” – Laura J.W. Ryan
“Live simply so that others may simply live.” – Mahatma Gandhi
While this is merely a minuscule sampling of applicable quotes, I do hope you take time to ponder and search your values. What are you about and what kind of world do you wish to leave to your children, grandchildren, and subsequent generations?
I am intrigued by Mike Pence’s use of the phrase “God-given liberties” in his tweet. I’m sure he is using language that religious people and/or those who believe in God could relate to.
But I do wonder why he couldn’t have used words such as “inherent,” “self-evident,” or “unalienable,” rather than “God-given” to describe these liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
I’m pragmatic enough to understand the broad appeal of the phrase “God-given” when it comes to liberties and rights, since most Americans claim Christianity, in one form or another, as their religion and also espouse a belief in God.
I see references to “God-given” all that time, so Pence’s phrasing is not that unusual. But I am a little bothered by the implication that rights and liberties bestowed upon Americans by the Founding Fathers are “God-given,” especially since the word “God” appears nowhere in the Constitution or the Bill…
Before lighting the fireworks, think about what you are celebrating, what works, what doesn’t and at what price. Ask yourself, WHAT DO I STAND FOR?
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“Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.” – Aristotle
“I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” – Abraham Lincoln
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” – John F. Kennedy
“The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decicions independent of the political winds that are blowing.” – Caroline Kennedy
“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.” – Charles de Montesquieu
“The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” – Edmund Burke
“Patriotism means loving your homeland. Nationalism means hating other people’s countries.” -Charles de Gaulle
“Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and deathh struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.” – Liu Xiaobo
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” – Mark Twain
“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywere else.” – Clarence Darrow
“Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system.” – Martin Luther King
In peace and with a clear conscience, I implore you to search your heart, soul and conscience and decide what you will stand for.
Thank you Sally for your courage. There are very few words here that I haven’t said myself, not that anyone was listening. My only disagreement would be on the views of Western Europe regarding the American Image. I’ve been living the past decade in Western Europe and find that the image is faded, tattered and torn. For those sitting on the fence, drop what you are doing and do yourself a favor. Start by reading The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
Why I have Always Hated Independence Day (July 4th) in the USA I am not the only one, either. Fireworks I could enjoy the fireworks from a great distance and up high, only. Sometimes I could get to my own or someone else’s rooftop or high window and watch from afar and admire the colors […]
Noticing the twin flags on your car — flag of Confederacy, flag of Union; seeing that you’re heading into the same bar I’m going to; letting my hands brush my pockets — clipped-on knife, cell phone; checking for pepper gel snapped to belt loop; calculating whether — and when — first strike will make more […]
Despite the passage of time, I find much relevance to the present. If any of these quotes speak to you, or make you think, it is what I hoped for. In addition to the quotes you find here, you will find a few added to the Quotes page and I hope you will stop by. I often find inspiration upon ruminating on one quote or another… Choose a quote and take it out for a walk and see where it takes you. Who will pick up the gauntlet?
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” Malala Yousafzai
“Diplomats make it their business to conceal the facts, and politicians violently denounce the politicians of other countries.” – Margaret Sanger
“A free race cannot be born of slave mothers.” – Margaret Sanger
“Woman must have her freedom, the fundamental freedom of choosing whether or not she will become a mother and how many children she will have. Regardless of what man’s attitude may be, that problem is hers – and before it can be his, it is hers alone.” – Margaret Sanger
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” – George Orwell
“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” – George Orwell
“Nationalism is power hunger fuelled by self deception.” – George Orwell
“Sometimes the scandal is not law was broken, but what the law allows.” – Edward Snowdon
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer up somebody else.” – Mark Twain
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare
“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William Shakespeare
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” – William Shakespeare
“How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” – William Shakespeare
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Man becomes great in exactly the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Power is two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than one derived from fear of punishment.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“What we think, we become.” – Budda
“Three things cannot be long hidden: The sun, the moon and the truth.” – Budda
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” – George Washington
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Albert Camus
“Free people, remember this maxim: we may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
JE SUIS CHARLIE
Nous sommes tous Charlie…
Mon cœur enfle
De l’intérieur de ma poitrine
Il menace d’éclater
Je suis Charlie…
la Solidarité – frappée par la foudre
la Cohésion – debout, ensemble:
Soixante-quatre millions de personnes!
Même après sept ans en France,
cette voix collective me rend humble
mon Hommage(respect) pour la liberté qui ne sera pas
sacrifiée pour l’illusion de la sécurité –
Pas en mon nom – si d’autres le font!
l’Humanité est en noir – dans l’union,
Refusant de se taire
Cohésion – 64000000,
les cœurs battent très fort
Les terroristes entendent cette Vérité,
l’Égalité et la Liberté ne seront pas sacrifiées –
Ni tues par le fanatisme – ou par la naissance,
Mais par le cœur, les choix, la pensée…
France, je me tiens debout avec toi,
mon “chez moi” – foyer accueillant de mon cœur
Je suis avec toi,
Nous sommes solidaires,
NOUS SOMMES TOUS CHARLIE!
En solidarité
Léa
***
Nous sommes tous Charlie
My heart swells
From within my breast
It threatens to burst forth
Je suis Charlie
Solidarity – frappée par la foudre
Cohesion – standing together
Sixty-four million strong
Even after seven years in France
Humbled by this collective voice
Reverence for liberty will not be
Sacrificed for the illusion of security
Not in my name – others will
Humanity in black – in unity
Refusing to be silenced
Cohesion – sixty four million
Hearts beating strong
Terrorists – hear this
Truth, Equality and Freedom
Will not be sacrificed
Nor silenced by fanaticism – not by birth
But by heart, by choice, in thought
France I stand with you
Home of my heart
I stand with thee
We stand together
NOUS SOMMES TOUS CHARLIE
In solidarity
Léa
With gratitude to Mélanie at: https://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/. Without her help with translations, this post would not have been possible. Please stop by and visit her and you will be delighted!
TheCertifiablyTRUERavingsOfASectionedPhilosopher: Don't be afraid to think you might be a little 'crazy'. Who isn't? Check out some of my visualized poems here: https://www.instagram.com/maxismaddened/
I am intrigued by Mike Pence’s use of the phrase “God-given liberties” in his tweet. I’m sure he is using language that religious people and/or those who believe in God could relate to.
poetry, photos and musings oh my! 