Salvation for a race, nation or class must come from within. Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted.
A. Philip RandolphRead
Negroes must be free in order to be equal, and they must be equal in order to be free... Men cannot win freedom unless they win equality. They cannot win equality unless they win freedom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom and equality are interdependent; one cannot exist without the other.
This quote emphasizes the fundamental relationship between freedom and equality, suggesting that true liberation cannot be achieved without achieving equal rights and conditions. A. Philip Randolph argues that the struggle for civil rights is a dual fight; until individuals attain equal status in society, their freedom remains incomplete.
Themes
FreedomEqualityCivil RightsStruggleLiberation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech advocating for social justice.
More from A. Philip Randolph
All quotes →We must develop huge demonstrations, because the world is used to big dramatic affairs. They think in terms of hundreds of thousands and millions and billions... Billions of dollars are appropriated at the twinkling of an eye. Nothing little counts.
A. Philip RandolphRead
Negroes are in no mood to shoulder guns for democracy abroad while they are denied democracy here at home.
A. Philip RandolphRead
Justice is never given; it is exacted.
A. Philip RandolphRead
Since almost all Negroes are workers, live on wages, and suffer from the high cost of food, clothing and shelter, it is obvious that the Republican and Democratic Parties are opposed to their interests.
A. Philip RandolphRead
If someone tried to deprive you of your rights, you've got to resist it. You've got to resent it. You've got to fight against it.
A. Philip RandolphRead
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Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.
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