A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.
Malcolm XRead
I am a Muslim and . . . my religion makes me be against all forms of racism. It keeps me from judging any man by the color of his skin. It teaches me to judge him by his deeds and his conscious behavior. And it teaches me to be for the rights of all human beings, but especially the Afro-American human being, because my religion is a natural religion, and the first law of nature is self-preservation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Malcolm X emphasizes that his Islamic faith guides him to reject racism and to evaluate people based on their actions rather than their race.
In this quote, Malcolm X advocates for a worldview shaped by his Muslim beliefs, which teach him to see beyond skin color and appreciate the moral character of individuals. He argues that true judgment should be based on one's actions and consciousness, promoting equality and advocating particularly for the rights of Afro-Americans, as he sees this as a natural extension of his faith that prioritizes self-preservation and justice for all.
Themes
RacismFaithEqualityJudgmentHuman Rights
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for social justice and equality.
More from Malcolm X
All quotes →I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he's wrong, than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil.
Malcolm XRead
When you want a nation, that's called nationalism... Black nationalism. A revolutionary is a Black nationalist. He wants a nation.
Malcolm XRead
So over you is the greatest enemy a man can have — and that is fear. I know some of you are afraid to listen to the truth — you have been raised on fear and lies. But I am going to preach to you the truth until you are free of that fear...
Malcolm XRead
Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.
Malcolm XRead
Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else.
Malcolm XRead
Similar quotes
No good case exists for the inequality of real and intellectual property, because no good case can exist for treating with special disfavor the work of the spirit and the mind.
Mark HelprinRead
But do you understand, I cry to him, do you understand that if you have the guillotine in the forefront, and with such glee, it's for the sole reason that cutting heads off is the easiest thing, and having an idea is difficult!
Fyodor DostoevskyRead
In truth the Church is too unique to prove herself unique. For most popular and easy proof is by parallel; and here there is no parallel.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
I was told to challenge every spiritual teacher, every world leader to utter the one sentence that no religion, no political party, and no nation on the face of the earth will dare utter: 'Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way.
Neale Donald WalschRead
[Women] tend to collect more pieces of data when they think, put them into more complex patterns, see more options and outcomes. They tend to be contextual, holistic thinkers.
Helen FisherRead
History says, 'Don't hope on this side of the grave.'
Seamus HeaneyRead