I have always been that girl in the back who doesn't say anything.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a struggle with speaking out and standing up for one's beliefs, especially in the face of adversity.
Greta Thunberg reflects on her experience of being a quiet observer rather than an outspoken participant, highlighting the importance of finding one's voice. This sentiment resonates with many who feel pressure to conform or remain silent, encouraging them to overcome their fears and engage in important conversations about change.
In practice
Using this quote during a school presentation on climate activism.
We are not going to be satisfied by politicians saying 'we support you' and then walking away. We won't be satisfied until they meet our demands and act. That's why simply taking a selfie or posting support on Twitter isn't enough. That's why we have to keep striking.
When I was maybe eight or nine years old, I first learned about the climate crisis in school. My teachers taught me about it and we saw films and pictures of plastic in the ocean and extreme weather events. Those pictures were just stuck in my head; I thought, there is no point in anything.
I have been on the road and visited numerous places and met people from all over the globe. I can say that it looks nearly the same everywhere I have been: The climate crisis is ignored by people in charge, despite the science being crystal clear.
I want the politicians to prioritise the climate question, focus on the climate and treat it like a crisis.
We have to understand what the older generation has dealt to us, what mess they have created that we have to clean up and live with.
It felt like I was the only one who cared about the climate and the ecological crisis. My parents didn't care about it, my classmates didn't care about it, my relatives didn't care about this. I mean nobody I knew cared about this and I felt like I was the only one.
There was no way to laugh anymore, to love, to care, and there was a sense of guilt in having survived when others had been killed. I turned into a worse workaholic than I had already been by trying to work myself into the ground.
What do you have to fear? Nothing. Whom do you have to fear? No one. Why? Because whoever has joined forces with God obtains three great privileges: omnipotence without power, intoxication without wine, and life without death.
The Black Panther Party stood up and said that we don't care what anybody says. We don't think fighting fire with fire is best; we think you fight fire with water best.
I'm always fearful. β¦ Fear generates in you a huge energy. You can use it. When I feel that mounting fear, I think, 'Oh, yes, there it is!' It's like petrol.
I was the first man to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks without supplementary oxygen, but I never asked how high I would go, just how I would do it.
I lost everything when they put us in prison. I was an enemy alien, a man without a country.
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