Matilda Joslyn Gage Quotes

Every major social movement in our history was fueled in large part by religion and faith. Abolitionism, women’s suffrage, child labor law, and most famously, civil rights.

Every human being, including those who belong to the enemy, have rights.

The aim of human rights, if I may borrow a term from engineering, is to move beyond the design and drawing-board phase, to move beyond thinking and talking about the foundations stones - to laying those foundation stones, inch by inch, together.

No! on Human Rights and Freedom, on a subject that is as self-evident as that two and two make four, there is no need of any written authority.

The extension of women's rights is the basic principle of all social progress.

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

If you put too much emphasis on human rights, then people will call anything they want a human right.

Human rights are being exalted over victory.

I recognize no rights but human rights—I know nothing of men's rights and women's rights.

There should be a single standard in the world for human rights.

Freedom from fear" could be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights.

People have a right to certain non-negotiable demands of human dignity.

The thing about talking about human rights is that when one bears in mind the sharp end of it, one does not want to worry too much about semantics.

The struggle for human rights is at its core a struggle for human dignity.

We do need great change in Burma. We are trying to build a new society, a society where basic human rights are respected, and where our people enjoy all the benefits of democratic institutions.

What's more important is that we talk about movements; change happens through movements. The movement to end slavery, the movement to bring justice for those who have been left out of the system, movements to include women, movements around sexual preference - all these movements brought about change.

China is at a different stage of development, human rights are violated here much more often. And still, we see improvements even here.

When you're fighting for civil rights, it's sometimes two steps forward and one step back. Civil rights are an evolution; and you have to bring people along.

Human rights are inscribed in the hearts of people; they were there long before lawmakers drafted their first proclamation.

I feel like in 10 or 15 years' time our children are going to look back and say, 'What? You were around when gay people weren't allowed to get married?'

Customs and convictions change; respectable people are the last to know, or to admit, the change, and the ones most offended by fresh reflections of the facts in the mirror of art.

I had very little exposure to business growing up. I also was very focused on the Civil Rights Movement. And I saw law as a vehicle to really bring about substantial change.

We accept the world in order to change it. If you do not accept, then what are you going to change?

I think that civil rights issues take a lot of time to develop.

I'm part of an important movement that needs to happen.