Quotes by Desmond Tutu

 

(October 7,1931 – December 26, 2021)

"Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes."

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

"I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights."

"When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others."

"Enemies are always friends waiting to be made."

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

"People are not born hating each other and wishing to cause harm. It is a learned condition."

"Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another."

“My father always used to say, "Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument." Good sense does not always lie with the loudest shouters, nor can we say that a large, unruly crowd is always the best arbiter of what is right.”

"A person is a person through other persons; you can't be human in isolation; you are human only in relationships."

“We were made to enjoy music, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, to enjoy looking at the billows of the sea and to be thrilled with a rose that is bedecked with dew… Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful... and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things.”

"Life is more than breath and a heartbeat; meaning and purpose are the life of life."

“Forgiving is not forgetting; it's actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. It's a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don't want to repeat what happened.”