I hope that I will be the last victim in China's long record of treating words as crimes.
Liu XiaoboRead
If there has been any progress in the Chinese society and politics over the last 20 years, it is all because the citizens have been pushing for change.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The progress in Chinese society and politics over 20 years is driven by the efforts of its citizens advocating for change.
Liu Xiaobo's quote highlights the crucial role of active citizenship in fostering societal and political change. It suggests that any advancements in Chinese society are not solely due to government initiatives or external influences, but rather the result of citizens' persistent demand for progress and reform, emphasizing the power of collective action in shaping a nation's destiny.
Themes
ProgressCitizensChangeSocietyPolitics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of civic engagement.
More from Liu Xiaobo
All quotes βFree expression is the base of human rights, the root of human nature and the mother of truth. To kill free speech is to insult human rights, to stifle human nature and to suppress truth.
Liu XiaoboRead
In order to exercise the right to freedom of speech conferred by the Constitution, one should fulfill the social responsibility of a Chinese citizen.
Liu XiaoboRead
Ultimately, change will happen when problems persist and enough people are concerned.
Liu XiaoboRead
There is no force that can put an end to the human quest for freedom, and China will, in the end, become a nation ruled by law, where human rights reign supreme.
Liu XiaoboRead
For those of us in the opposition movement under dictatorships, part of our job is confronting police and spending time in prison. So, a dissident not only needs to learn how to oppose oppression but also how to face the crackdowns and time in prison.
Liu XiaoboRead
Similar quotes
A person can run for years but sooner or later he has to take a stand in the place which, for better or worse, he calls home, and do what he can to change things there.
Paule MarshallRead
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.
R. Buckminster FullerRead
And then something invisible snapped insider her, and that which had come together commenced to fall apart.
John GreenRead
That is how you know you've left childhood behind-when you wish for time to go backward.
Alice HoffmanRead
The ideal is a world in which every woman and girl can create the kind of life she wishes to lead, unconstrained by harmful norms and stereotypes.
Paul PolmanRead
It is good to realize that falling apart is not such a bad thing. Indeed, it is as essential to evolutionary and psychological transformation as the cracking of outgrown shells.
Joanna MacyRead