Adolfo Perez Esquivel Quotes

Today we are in a war against war - music is our power.

Power to the peaceful!

Not one of us will have to raise a sword. Not one gun would we need to fire. The great cannon that will be fired is our unity.

The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer, our answer, all our answer must be action. Calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action.

There's no problem on the planet that can't be solved without violence. That's the lesson of the civil rights movement.

To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.

The cry of the oppressed has entered not only into my ears, but into my soul, so that while I live, I cannot hold my peace.

We have to realize we are building a movement.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' And I think a lot of people don't understand that there's a difference between a peace lover and a peacemaker. Everybody loves peace, but wearing jewelry around your neck and saying 'I love peace' doesn't bring it.

I think 'Make love, not war' might be the most profound statement that's ever been made.

People must lean the strategies of non-violence as a skill for use in their homes, their work and in making social change….Violence is an inarticulate language.

…against the simple act of violence, words, moral indignation and world opinion are not enough.

The real power of any movement is how we work together with other social justice movements.

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.

There is a lot of suffering and injustice in the world, and there is also a great deal of hope. When you step forward and start speaking about what you see and what you want to change, you can begin living in that hope instead of despair.

I think our work as movement leaders isn't just about our own visibility but rather how do we make the whole visible. How do we not just fight for our individual selves but fight for everybody?

We must not only imagine a better future for women, children, and persecuted minorities; we must work consistently to make it happen - prioritizing humanity, not war.

I feel that my purpose is to shed light on some of the darker sides of our world, and to lend a hand and a voice to people struggling.

A highly visible, shared identity can help bring activists from different backgrounds together with a common sense of purpose and push for change more effectively - from the global stage to within their own communities and families.

We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.

I worked for suffrage for years, and got it. I've worked for peace for 55 years and haven't come close.

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

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.

Nonviolence cannot be learnt by staying at home.