I've learned that my people are not the only ones oppressed... I have sung my songs all over the world and everywhere found that some common bond makes the people of all lands take to Negro songs as their own.
Paul RobesonRead
Like any other people, like fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in every land, when the issue of peace or war has been put squarely to the American people, they have registered for peace.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The American people's preference leans towards peace over war, as they share common desires for harmony like families worldwide.
In this quote, Paul Robeson emphasizes that, regardless of nationality, human beings fundamentally desire peace, much like families universally strive for well-being. He suggests that when faced with the critical choice between peace and war, the American populace has consistently shown a clear inclination towards peaceful resolutions, reflecting a shared human value that transcends borders and cultures.
Themes
PeaceWarUnityHumanityDesire
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about international relations, one could reference this quote to emphasize the need for diplomacy over conflict.
More from Paul Robeson
All quotes →We ask for nothing that is not ours by right, and herein lies the great moral power of our demand.
Paul RobesonRead
My mother was born in your state, Mr. Walter, and my mother was a Quaker, and my ancestors in the time of Washington baked bread for George Washington's troops when they crossed the Delaware, and my own father was a slave.
Paul RobesonRead
The intolerance of the few, or the risk of it, carries the day against the wider humanity of the many.
Paul RobesonRead
I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom
Paul RobesonRead
And at home in the United States we found continued and increased persecution, first of leaders of the Communist Party, and then of all honest anti-fascists.
Paul RobesonRead
Similar quotes
I never again want to see the face of a starving child or hear the weeping of a mother who has lost her son to war. Peace, this is what my husband gave his life for, and I want the world to know that he did not die in vain. Peace, this is what will make me very happy.
Jehan SadatRead
No more wars, no more bloodshed. Peace unto you. Shalom, salaam, forever.
Menachem BeginRead
Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.
Nhat HanhRead
The question that we must ask is whether we are making progress toward the goal of universal peace. Or are we caught up on a treadmill of history, turning forever on the axle of mindless aggression and self-destruction?
F. W. De KlerkRead
It is not only war that can stop war but men of goodwill, conscious of their mission can deal with such deadly enemy.
Haile SelassieRead
I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs to all of humanity!
Pope FrancisRead