Malcolm X, whose real name was Malcolm Little (and changed to El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz when he converted to Islam), was an American human and racial rights advocate.
Born in 1925, the African American Malcolm X is one of the most remembered and mythical black leaders in the history of the United States She lived a childhood full of suffering: her father was murdered for attending demonstrations in defense of workers, and her mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. However, Malcolm X walked his own path in activism and on the spiritual level. His legacy was hailed as one of the most brilliant leaders for African American rights.
He had a turbulent life. After arriving in New York from his native Nebraska, Malcolm Little joined different organized crime gangs, which led him to prison in 1945. This bad life led him to reflect and he embraced Islam.
In today’s article we are going to remember his role as a lecturer and activist with the best quotes from Malcolm . However, the mission that Malcolm X, Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King began remains unfinished.
1. You cannot separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless they have their freedom.
A reflection on racial segregation. Without equality there is no freedom, and without freedom there can be no peace.
2. The United States has a very serious problem. Not only does America have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. America’s problem is us. We are your problem. The only reason he has a problem is because he doesn’t want us here.
Referring to African American citizens, in statements from 1963.
3. I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he is wrong. That the other one who comes as an angel but turns out to be a demon.
About hypocrisy.
4. No one can give you your freedom. No one can give you your equality or justice or anything else. If you are a man, take it.
A well-remembered quote from Malcolm as it states the principle of self-determination.
5. I do not believe in any form of unjustified extremism! But when a human being is exercising extremism in defense of freedom for human beings he is not a vice, and when one is moderate in the pursuit of justice for human beings I say that he is a sinner.
6. The squeaky hinge is the one that gets the oil.
If you want to achieve something, make yourself heard and find a way to achieve it.
7. Education is the passport to the future, tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
Knowledge is born from long hours between books and reflections.
8. Normally, when people are sad they don’t do anything. They only cry about their condition. But when they are angry, they cause change.
Protest can emerge from anger and, with it, the possibility of subverting an unjust order.
9. You can’t have capitalism without racism.
In this phrase, Malcolm X makes clear his convictions located on the political left.
10. The truth is on the side of the oppressed.
A way of conceiving social reality very far removed from the discourse of power.
11. I believe in human rights for all, and none of us are qualified to judge others and none of us should therefore have that authority.
An approach that can only be defended from an anarchist position.
12. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If there are differences between us, we will keep things in the closet; When we go out into the street, let there be nothing to discuss between us until we have finished arguing with that white man.
A phrase that invites believers of different religious denominations to respect and love each other.
13. I am and always will be a Muslim. My religion is Islam.
In the last years of his life, Malcolm X converted to Sunnism.
14. Our goal is complete freedom, justice and equality, by any means necessary.
He was not the prophet of non-violence. He advocated achieving equality between citizens by whatever means were necessary.
15. This does not mean that I defend violence, but at the same time, I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don’t call it violence when it is in self-defense, I call it intelligence.
Another phrase in the same sense as the previous one.
16. If you are not prepared for the media, they will make you love the oppressor and hate the oppressed.
Just as Noam Chomsky would say decades later, the media has a great ability to manipulate and direct mass opinion.
17. I am for the truth, no matter who says it. I am for justice, no matter who is for or against. I am a human being, first of all, and as such I am there for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.
A declaration of ethical principles.
18. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.
Extracted from one of his religious prayers.
19. History is the memory of a people, and without memory, man is degraded to lower animals.
A phrase that will not be well received among animal rights activists.
20. We have to keep in mind at all times that we are not fighting for integration, nor are we fighting for separation. We fight for recognition… For the right to live free human beings in this society.
Excerpt from one of his most memorable public speeches.
21. Wherever you go and whatever you do, always remember that we are still brothers and sisters, and that we always have the same problem. Let’s not waste time condemning each other and we fight each other. We have already lost too much in the past.
In this phrase, Malcolm X calls for unity and compassion among African Americans.
22. If you don’t stand up for something, you will die for nothing.
It is necessary to rebel when society is unjust.
23. If you are not prepared to die for it, remove the word freedom from your vocabulary.
The second half of the 20th century was a time for brave people, for citizens committed to their ideals of fraternity.
24. There is nothing better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.
A motivating phrase that explains the meaning of continuing to fight.
25. My alma mater was books, a good library… I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.
His training was self-taught.
26. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
A phrase that can be used as a slogan for other social movements.
27. Stumbling is not falling.
Tripping prevents us from being more careful next time.
28. Show me a capitalist and I’ll show you a bloodsucker.
His criticisms of capitalism were in the public domain.
29. Nonviolence is fine as long as it works.
This American activist considered that nonviolence was useless.
30. If you don’t have critics, you probably won’t be successful.
For public people, it is important to receive both positive and negative criticism on a daily basis.
31. Goodwill cannot be legislated, that comes through education.
One of the bases of the endemic discrimination that the US suffered.
32. Without education, you are going nowhere in this world.
A truth that can be extended to any country in the world.
33. I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I do not believe in wasting brotherhood on those who do not want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street.
Only in this way will we achieve a peaceful society.
34. Power never steps back only in the face of more power.
This great activist was studying deeply about the phenomenon of power throughout his life.
35. In all our actions, proper courage and respect for time determines success or failure.
Malcolm X was a great speaker and also a great thinker, who left us truly profound reflections.
36. You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is be an intelligent human being.
Something that undoubtedly concerns us all.
37. I don’t even call it violence when it is in self-defense; I call it intelligence.
His public defense of self-defense is recognized.
38. I believe in human beings, and that every human being should be respected as such, regardless of their color.
Without a doubt, the basis for achieving a society in which we all repeat ourselves.
39. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; But if someone lays a hand on you, send them to the cemetery.
His manner may have made some people think that he was a violent person, even though he advocated self-defense.
40. I believe in a religion that believes in freedom. Every time I have to accept a religion that won’t let me fight a battle for my people, I say to hell with that religion.
His criticisms of the Christian religion were also known throughout the country.
41. The United States preaches integration and practices segregation.
A truly crude criticism of American reality.
42. The United States is the first country… that can have a revolution without bloodshed.
His views on the future of America and the emancipation of African Americans had a great influence on his country.
43. I am for violence if nonviolence means that we continue to postpone a solution to the American black man’s problem just to avoid violence.
One of the bases of his political thought.
44. You don’t have a peaceful revolution. You don’t have a turn your cheek revolution. There is no such thing as a nonviolent revolution.
A constant throughout the history of humanity.
45. I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca.
His status as a Muslim was never a secret to anyone.
46. ​​What is a Dixiecrat? A democrat, A Dixiecrat is nothing more than a democrat in disguise.
Malcolm X harshly criticized the Democratic Party.
47. Integration will not bring a man back from the grave.
A truly disastrous reflection.
48. My father didn’t know his real name. My father got his name from his grandfather and he got his name from his grandfather and he got it from the slave master.
The summary of the history of the majority of African Americans in the United States.
49. The power in defense of freedom is greater than the power in favor of tyranny and oppression, because power, real power, comes from our conviction that produces action, uncompromising action.
Something that he always kept in mind throughout his political activism.
50. The white man, in his press, is going to identify me with ‘hate’.
Malcolm X suffered major smear campaigns throughout his career.
