List of Cesar Chavez Quotes

These Observations Tie In Directly With The Whole Question Of Organizing. Why Do We Have Leaders? We Put Some People Out In The Fields And All Of A Sudden They Hit, They Click. Everyone's Happy With Them And They Begin To Move Mountains. With Other People There Are Problems And Heartaches. They Just Don't Go. When We Look And See What's Happening, Almost Invariably The Differences Are Along The Lines Of Willingness To Sacrifice And Work Long Hours.

...people Think Non-violence Is Really Weak And Non-militant. These Are Misconceptions That People Have Because They Don't Understand What Non-violence Means. Non-violence Takes More Guts, If I Can Put It Bluntly, Than Violence. Most Violent Acts Are Accomplished By Getting The Opponent Off Guard, And It Doesn't Take That Much Character, I Think, If One Wants To Do It.

We Are Organizers At Heart. Most Of Us In The Movement Take Great Pride In Being Able To Put Things Together.

We Are Tired Of Words, Of Betrayals, Of Indifference...they Years Are Gone When The Farm Worker Said Nothing An Did Nothing To Help Himself...now We Have New Faith. Through Our Strong Will, Our Movement Is Changing These Conditions...we Shall Be Heard.

If They Had $2.00 For Food, They Had To Give $1.00 To The Union. Otherwise, They Would Never Get Out Of The Trap Of Poverty. They Would Never Have A Union Because They Couldn't Afford To Sacrifice A Little Bit More On Top Of Their Misery.

If You Win Non-violently, Then You Have A Double Victory, You Have Not Only Won Your Fight, But You Remain Free.

I Have Met Many, Many Farm Workers And Friends Who Love Justice And Who Are Willing To Sacrifice For What Is Right. They Have A Quality About Them That Reminds Me Of The Beatitudes. They Are Living Examples That Jesus' Promise Is True: They Have Ben Hungry And Thirsty For Righteousness And They Have Been Satisfied. They Are Determined, Patient People Who Believe In Life And Who Give Strength To Others. They Have Given Me More Love And Hope And Strength Than They Will Ever Know.

I Think One Of The Great, Great Problems...is Confusing People To The Point Where They Become Immobile. In Fact, The More Things People Can Find Out For Themselves, The More Vigor The Organization Is Going To Have.

Non-violence Is Very Weak In The Theoretical Sense; It Cannot Defend Itself. But It Is Most Powerful In The Action Situation Where People Are Using Non-violence Because They Want Desperately To Bring About Some Change. Non-violence In Action Is A Very Potent Force And It Can't Be Stopped. The People Who Are Struggling Have The Complete Say-so. No Man-made Law, No Human Ruler, No Army Can Destroy This. There Is No Way It Can Be Destroyed... And So, If We Have The Capacity To Endure, If We Have The Patience, Things Will Change.

Our Union Represents A Breaking Away...represents Sharing A Power, Represent Questioning, Represents A New Force...however Long It Takes, We Are Geared For A Struggle.

Farm Workers Everywhere Are Angry And Worried That We Cannot Win Without Violence. We Have Proved It Before Through Persistence, Hard Work, Faith And Willingness To Sacrifice. We Can Win And Keep Our Own Self-respect And Build A Great Union That Will Secure The Spirit Of All People If We Do It Through A Re-dedication And Re-commitment To The Struggle For Justice Through Non-violence.

This Is The Beginning Of A Social Movement In Fact And Not In Pronouncements. We Seek Our Basic, God - Given Rights As Human Beings...we Shall Do It Without Violence Because It Is Our Destiny. To The Growers And To All Who Oppose Us, We Say The Words Of Benito Juarez: `respect For Another's Right Is The Meaning Of Peace.'