Progressive Movement Quotes

Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

I do not think that any self-respecting radical in history would have considered advocating people’s rights to get married, join the Army, and earn a living as a terribly inspiring revolutionary platform.

A great number of those working for liberal causes are not only shy but borderline collusive. They want change to happen nicely, and it won't. They want decency to come about without anybody suffering or being embarrassed, and it won't. And most of all they want to give many of the enemies of open government the benefit of the doubt, and I don't. It's not just a difference of approach, it's a complete schism in our respective philosophy. You can't go about disclosure in the hope that it won't spoil anybody's dinner.

A revolution is not an event. It's a process. And it takes its time.

… revolution is in vain unless inspired by its ultimate ideal

Women are in positions of power the most radical of activists could only dream of in 1960.

The Democratic lawmakers are still trying to figure out how to capitalize on this new wave of leftist anger, if you want to call it that.

With an abusive political relationship, with a political party that's throwing you under the bus, sister, I'm sorry to say but you don't have a future in this political party. You know, what they did to Bernie Sanders is what they have done to every progressive candidate and every real progressive movement within the party. They allow it to show its face and then they use the kill switch.

The Democratic Party has been my party over 50 years, where I waged my battle to change America and change the world from its progressive wing.

Leftists are activists. This is a strategy. Liberalism, communism, socialism, you don't need to go too deep - a peripheral study of Marxism. And you'll learn that Marxism, leftism, liberalism, they have long-term strategies for taking over and controlling whole populations. It is their objective.

I was the candidate first time a Green or any progressive third party has ever been in a national televised debate. I was in five of them. And the response from the public was overwhelming.

This isn't the Democratic party of our fathers and grandfathers. This is the party of Woodstock hippies. I was at Woodstock--I built the stage. And when everything fell apart, and people were fighting for peanut butter sandwiches, it was the National Guard who came in and saved the same people who were protesting them. So when Hillary Clinton a few years ago wanted to build a Woodstock memorial, I said it should be a statue of a National Guardsman feeding a crying hippie.

I hope progressive ways of thinking will permeate the "mainstream" more and more in the coming years. Goddess knows we have endured a very long spell (thirty plus years) of regressive thinking and hyper conservativism dominating our culture and national discourse. It necessitates risk taking and rule breaking by people in all walks of life to swing that pendulum back though.

Progressive, radical, or even revolutionary change has always come from below.

The next thing I am doing is moving back home to Minnesota and getting involved in politics. I'm looking at a run for Senate in 2008, but in the meantime I am focused on knitting together the progressive network in the upper Midwest.

Progressivism was a sister movement of fascism, and today's liberalism is the daughter of Progressivism.

Upton Sinclair is a darn nice fellow, and just plum smart, and if he could deliver even some of the things he promises, should not only be governor of one state, but president of all of 'em.

Progressivism has time and again added the corrective that has enabled capitalism to survive.

I don't even know what progressive is anymore, to be honest!

When I'm talking to people, I find myself quoting the three organizing rules of Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter was initiated by three young women, and too few people know that. But, anyway, the first one is lead with love. The second is low ego, high impact. The third is move with the speed of trust. I must say those make me feel very hopeful for the future.

Any genuine progressive should work together to stop Brexit - this is a national emergency, requiring national cooperation.

Historically the mainstream media has never been particularly friendly to any socially progressive ideas.

There appears to be no limit as to how far the women's revolution will take us.

It is right to rebel against reactionaries.

Vermont's a very liberal state.