Lao Tzu Quotes

I know that government doesn't have the all solutions that real solutions do not come from the top down. Instead, the ways to end poverty come from all of us. We are part of the solution.

But when others suggested that the poor should not simply be the objects of these programs but also the subjects - that they should be actively involved in shaping the programs, making decisions about how to spend the money etc. - some of the previous supporters reconsidered.

Major changes become possible if you work in a participatory manner, listen to local people, diagnose what the problems are, provide training and identify where there are opportunities for mobilizing local resources to take action.

My kids have lived experiences that could have never been duplicated otherwise. That's one thing about people who get involved in activism, you live so many experiences that otherwise they wouldn't be there. This is why peoples' lives are so enriched.

These powerless people at the bottom are the ones with whom we must begin. They must have the insight and the knowledge to work together and recognise that they are on the right track.

Development should be a mass movement. We need to integrate the people and make it a mass movement.

One little person, giving all of her time to peace, makes news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history.

It's really important to be active in your community, whatever community that is... find allies and find people who you relate to and who make you stronger as a group.

'Putting People First' was progressivism revived and at its best.

You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.

There's nothing quite as powerful as people feeling they can have impact and make a difference. When you've got that going for you, I think it's a very powerful way to implement change.

As a girl who was raised on the idea that we should give back to our community as much as possible, I believe that we have more power than we think when it comes to making change.

I love being a part of something that is grassroots, and you can see the actual changes, the effect of what people do.

I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever but to be a part of an ongoing historical movement.

I emphasize self-esteem, self-confidence, and dignity, not as an ideal, but as a real test of community organization. Without leadership development, community organizations do not have staying power.

Maximum Feasible Participation of the Poor

I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.

It always feels good to be a part of something you think could actually impact human beings.

It's insulting when outsiders come in and tell a traumatized people what it will take for them to heal... People who have lived through a terrible conflict may be hungry and desperate, but they are not stupid. They often have very good ideas about how peace can evolve, and they need to be asked. That includes women. Most especially women.

Development seems to have become the agenda only of government. It is seen as a scheme. That should not be the case. Development should be everyone's agenda. It should be a people's movement.

You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage. Besides you don't build a better world by choppin' heads off and giving decent girls away to frogs.

There are enough people who are starting to be actively involved that we can turn things around. And we need to encourage others to become involved.

If a movement is to have an impact it must belong to those who join it, not those who lead it.

Leaders may inspire, but only when the people decide to act does the leader's vision become a movement.