Most blacks will argue that they excel because of hard work, because of intellect, determination, sweat, blood, tears and risk.
You must never stop dreaming. Face reality, yes. But don't stop with the way things are; dream of things as they ought to be. Dream of peace. Peace is rational and reasonable. War is irrational in this age and unwinnable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of dreaming and envisioning a better world despite the harsh realities of life.
Jesse Jackson's quote urges individuals to maintain their dreams and aspirations, even when faced with challenging circumstances. It highlights the contrast between the current state of reality and the potential for a better future, particularly in the context of peace versus conflict. By advocating for dreaming of peace, Jackson presents a vision that aligns with rationality and hope, suggesting that while war may seem inevitable, it is ultimately an unwinnable and irrational choice. His call to action encourages a mindset focused on what could be rather than what is.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote during a motivational speech about striving for a peaceful future.
More from Jesse Jackson
All quotes →Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.
His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.
Leaders must be tough enough to fight, tender enough to cry, human enough to make mistakes, humble enough to admit them, strong enough to absorb the pain, and resilient enough to bounce back and keep on moving.
Look at the coded language the Right is using against President Barack Obama. Openly calling him a liar in Congress, saying he is 'not a Christian, he was not born here, he is not one of us.' That makes addressing such issues trickier for the first African-American in the White House.
Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise isn't the presence of justice - and we must demand justice in Ferguson and the other 'Fergusons' around America.
Similar quotes
...[T]here should be a real sense of your imagination and your memories walking and woolgathering, tramping the hills, romping all over the place. Trust them. Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.
Every day, I wake up and I say, 'Why... how... did I end up with 1.7 million Twitter followers?' It's freaky to me, every day, but that tells me that there's an appetite out there that had previously been underserved. There's an inner geek in us all, an inner bit of curiosity that people are discovering, and they like it.
I was not naturally talented. I didn't sing, dance or act, though working around that minor detail made me inventive.
If our young people could but glimpse it, it would be the most powerful spiritual motivation of their lives!
There's one thing I do wanna say. It's that every single one of you are just beautiful the way you are, every message that I get from you guys it just hurts me. Beacuse , if there is one person who knows what its like to get bullied, I get bullied a lot but you guys are so beautiful, please don't listen to any of that, ever, ever, ever from your school, from anything. You guys are perfect
Small things done with great love will change the world.