Helder Camara Quotes

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

The poor don’t know that their function in life is to exercise our generosity.

The general idea of the rich helping the poor, I think, is important.

The poor are the only consistent altruists; they sell all they have and give it to the rich.

We should remember the poor.

We are privileged. There are poor people out there. We must to do something to make them privileged.

Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.

Income inequality is the central problem all the way across the world.

Inequality of income is bad for everyone, not just the poor and the middle class.

I can't help but believe that at some time in the not-too-distant future, there is going to be another movement to change these systemic conditions of poverty, injustice, and violence in people's lives. That is where we've got to go, and it is going to be a struggle.

The Government should be taking notice of the youth of today so much more. They're trying to keep the rich, rich and the poor, poor. If I sat down with David Cameron in a room, I would ask him how he feels about it and what the hell he's doing about it.

We punk fans have so much energy to give to the fight against injustice, i.e. the abuse of the poor by the rich, i.e. climate change.

We have to get out of this mindset that the rich will do the business and the poor will have the charity.

All philanthropy — no age has seen more of it than our own — is only a savoury fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer.

Without an advocate for the poor, without a new state of mind in America, the country lies on the brink of anarchy.

The world does not have time to be with the poor, to learn with the poor, to listen to the poor. To listen to the poor is an exercise of great discipline, but such listening surely is what is required if charity is not to become a hatred of the poor for being poor.

The greatest difficulty with the world is not its ability to produce, but the unwillingness to share.

Sadly, because of the enormous gap between rich and poor, some mothers can afford helpers, but many can't. Those who can would be kinder to refrain from criticizing other women.

When we see people that are impoverished and people who are dealt an unfair hand, then if we have the power to help them, we should try to do that.

Always remember: the alleviation of poverty is never a political or economic issue - it is moral.

It's an irony that growing inequality could mean more money for philanthropy. In the U.S., quite a few of the ultra-rich have taken to heart the 19th century industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie's comment that it's a disgrace to die wealthy.

For all of my fortune, there are many with misfortune that need a hand.

I have lectured at the U.N. and travelled widely, giving lectures on human rights and gender inequalities in universities. But this is a life I do not wish to live. I don't want to be a showcase, I want to be in a battlefield where I can stand beside the oppressed and the poor.

Few, save the poor, feel for the poor.