Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Quotes

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

When you're a catalyst for change, you make enemies - and I'm proud of the ones I've got.

This is a revolution, damnit! We're going to have to offend somebody!

I was proud of the waves I had made, but wondered how many boats I was supposed to rock.

We need to stop saying we can't rock this boat when it needs to be rocked.

You can't do anything that's not political in this time and age.

Let the grassroots turn on the hate because that's the only thing that will make them do their duty.

Whatever I do, it will be fighting for social justice.

It's only by being disruptive that you get people to have a conversation about an issue.

People have long assumed that violence is necessary for political change. Rulers never cede power voluntarily, the argument goes, so progressives have no choice but to contemplate the use of force to bring about a better world, mindful of the trade-off between a small amount of violence now and acceptance of an unjust status quo indefinitely.

I've been a critic of the antiglobalization movement, and they've been a critic of me, but the one thing I respect about the movement is their authentic energy. These are not people who don't care about the world.

Ours is a country where anything can be accomplished if enough people get angry... because, in America, we act on our collective anger.

I've never written a political song. Songs can't save the world. I've gone through all that.

For 18 years I have resisted talking about current events. I am not going to start now.

Early in my career, people wanted to hear music about protest, about trying to change things.

We're all living blinkered lives, and we're not seeing what's going on and looking to change it. I'm not saying that everyone has to make a political statement, but we need to be more aware of what's happening and why.

This nation was founded by rebels and revolutionaries, and its flags were carried across the battlefields by people who were very, very against the status quo and who questioned and criticized.

I want to use my music to deliver a political message and sometimes to denounce, but I don't want to be a politician.

I watch the news. It fuels my rage; it informs my work.

I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.

Normal life cannot sustain revolutionary attitudes for long.

I've never been a part of a film before that offers such a platform into real issues, that raises social awareness and has the potential to change things.

In 2012, I see the potential for people to come together, huge moments of political and social engagement where elections are part of the strategy for change, but not the end goal and not the only thing that matters.

I don't accept the status quo. I do accept Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.