I went West and took part in the strike of the machinists - the Southern Pacific Railroad, the corporation that swung California by its golden tail, that controlled its legislature, its farmers, its preachers, its workers.
Mother JonesRead
Your ancestors fought for you to have a share in that institution over there. It's yours. See the school board, and every Friday night hold your meetings there. Have your wives clean it up Saturday morning for the children to enter Monday. Your organization is not a praying institution. It's a fighting institution. It's an educational institution along industrial lines. Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of taking action and responsibility in education, rather than relying solely on prayer or waiting for change.
Mother Jones stresses the legacy of struggle and sacrifice made by ancestors for the benefit of future generations, particularly in terms of educational access and communal responsibility. She encourages active participation in educational institutions and the necessity of mobilizing efforts to improve the lives of the living, reinforcing the idea that education is a battlefield demanding effort and engagement rather than passive acceptance.
Themes
EducationActionAncestorsResponsibilityCommunityFighting
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about community involvement, you might use this quote to inspire local leaders to engage in educational initiatives.
More from Mother Jones
All quotes →Out of labor's struggle in Arizona came better conditions for the workers, who must everywhere, at all times, under advantage and disadvantage work out their own salvation
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Some day the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit!
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Injustice boils in men's hearts as does steel in its cauldron, ready to pour forth, white hot, in the fullness of time.
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I believe that movements to suppress wrongs can be carried out under the protection of our flag.
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Little girls and boys, barefooted, walked up and down between the endless rows of spindles, reaching thin little hands into the machinery to repair snapped threads
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