Vaclav Havel Quotes

Speaking truth to power is never going to be easy.

The inability of those in power to still the voices of their own consciences is the great force leading to change.

There is little more powerful than when truth joins action.

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.

I think leaders are incapable of the strength that passive resistance entails.

A minority may be right. The majority is always wrong.

Long ago I ceased to count heads. Truth is usually in the minority in this evil world.

The dissident does not operate in the realm of genuine power at all. He is not seeking power. He has no desire for office and does not gather votes. He does not attempt to charm the public, he offers nothing and promises nothing. He can offer, if anything, only his own skin — and he offers it solely because he has no other way of affirming the truth he stands for. His actions simply articulate his dignity as a citizen, regardless of the cost.

I have huge respect for whistle-blowers, people who stand up against their bosses and losing their careers, just for truth and justice.

Speaking truth to power is actually a form of loyalty.

So, never be afraid. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed. If you, not just you in this room tonight, but in all the thousands of other rooms like this one about the world today and tomorrow and next week, will do this, not as a class or classes, but as individuals, men and women, you will change the earth.

Today, whether it is a student who holds a sit-in to get the army recruiters off his campus, or the mother of a dead soldier who refuses to leave the front gate of the president's ranch, we continue to be saved by brave people who risk ridicule and rejection but end up turning huge tides of public opinion in the direction of righteousness. We owe them enormous debts of gratitude. It is not easy to stand up for what is right, especially when everyone else is afraid to leave the comfortable path of conformity.

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 good will in power to act.

Telling the truth - telling thoughtful truths - should not be a revolutionary act. Speaking truths to power should not be sacrificial, but they are.

Following the teaching of Gandhi and Thoreau, Dr. King, it set me on a path. And I never looked back.

'The Prince' was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. 'Rules for Radicals' is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.

Just telling women: If you don't speak up, things aren't gonna change. If you don't become an advocate, it's not gonna change. If you don't vote, it's not gonna change. If you don't run, it's not gonna change.

In 'Healing the Soul of America,' I wrote about Gandhi's notion of soul force in politics and why it matters to stand on your truth.

I believe that young kids have agency and can make a difference in the world.

We have a big platform we can use to make change in this country. It starts with going home to our own cities and making change there. It starts with encouraging people to vote and using our platform to talk to people with power in this country to create change.

I'm asking people to vote for me because I'm an activist leader and a problem solver.

If my idol Mahatma Gandhi could fight to eradicate corruption at the age of 78, why can't I try at 60?

I am not in politics for power. I am in it for justice.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming moral force exerted by leaders like Gandhi comes by too rarely in the life of a nation.

John Lewis inspired countless Americans across generations with a life dedicated to service and getting into 'good trouble.' He had a vision for a better America, shouldered the weight of change, and put his own safety on the line so that others could live with dignity and grace.