Terri Sewell Quotes

Dealing with politicians, that's a little different. But government doesn't change until people demand it.

It is fascinating to watch legislators turn away from their usual corporate grips when they hear the growing thunder of the people.

Your not going to change the hearts and minds. You have to change to law.

My mother informed me that the way to be a change agent to create change, the first line of defense, or however you want to phrase that, is politics and government.

You can't do progressive government from the inside. You have to rally those outsiders and make them a force.

I have always believed that on important issues, the leaders must lead. Where the leaders fail to lead, and people are really concerned about it, the people will take the lead and make the leaders follow.

If a huge number of people call for change, the government will have to react. If you want to avoid uprisings, or demonstrations, you need to respond to the people's desperate need for change.

We didn't come here to become Washington, we came here to change Washington.

Progressive change in this country has never come from above.

Changing social policy is just dogged hard work.

Change never comes from the White House. It comes from your house and my house.

Reform is born of need, not pity. No vital movement of the people has worked down, for good or evil; fermented, instead, it carried up the heaving, cloggy mass.

America won't be saved because one or 10 people stand up. It will be saved because millions of us stand up.

Together, together, my friends, we have begun a political revolution to transform America, and that revolution, our revolution, continues!

As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws

Health care got done because there were a lot of people out there who aren't professional politicians, but are citizens, who pushed for it even when the politics was hard.

Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington

Action comes from keeping the heat on. No politician can sit on a hot issue if you make it hot enough.

We, the people, gave the marching orders to our democratically-elected officials and instructed them. We wanted out of Vietnam and we got out of Vietnam. We wanted women's right to choose and we got women's right to choose. We got the EPA, we got the Clean Air Act, Water Act, we got rights for workers in the workplace to be protected from dangers. We accomplished pretty much all of what we wanted when we had the courage of our convictions. That is the missing ingredient.

Spontaneous combustion of grassroots politics is the future.

I really feel that political will is born out of popular will.

We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.

I have seen the times when the grassroots has moved the Congress. We listen way more often to our constituents than the lobbyists. And the grassroots are going to have to do it.

'Unlikely Brothers' talks about the importance of citizen action and shows why and how we can make a difference.

The Occupy Wall Street project feels like a burning ember that might light the torch of justice and inflame our longing for freedom.