The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Where there is love there is life.
When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.
There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.
Poverty is the worst form of violence.
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white
domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society
in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live
for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
~~ Nelson Mandela ~~ {Speech given by Nelson Mandela – at his trial in 1964. He spent the next 20 years of his
life in prison for opposing apartheid, but this speech helped to galvanise opinion against the unfairness of
apartheid.}
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that
violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But
in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace.
~~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~~
"The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the
nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that
shall result in the highest development of the race."
~~ Susan B. Anthony ~~
When people come to you for help, do not turn them off with pious words, saying, 'Have faith and take your troubles
to God.' Act instead as though there were no God, as though there were only one person in the world who could
help -- only yourself.
When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.
I do not accept any absolute formulas for living. No preconceived code can see ahead to everything that can
happen in a man's life. As we live, we grow and our beliefs change. They must change. So I think we should live
with this constant discovery. We should be open to this adventure in heightened awareness of living. We should
stake our whole existence on our willingness to explore and experience.
~~ Martin Buber ~~
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
~~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~~
It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery. These may, perhaps, succeed
for once, and borrow for awhile, from hope, a gay and flourishing appearance. But time betrays their weakness,
and they fall into ruin of themselves. For, as in structures of every kind, the lower parts should have the greatest
firmness--so the grounds and principles of actions should be just and true.
~~ Demosthenes ~~
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
Those who can think, but cannot express what they think, place themselves at the level of those who cannot think.
~~ Pericles ~~
"We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally
fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with
great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road—the one "less traveled by"—offers our last,
our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth."
~~ Rachel Carson ~~
Dear President-Elect Obama,
As a group of women leaders who have given our lives to the transformation, protection and empowerment of women
in the United States and globally, we want to begin by congratulating you. We are honored and proud to have you
lead the nation during this historic time. We also welcome your call to action, reminding us of what we have
always known — that as global citizens we cannot solely rely on any one administration's ability to bring about
change, but must be steadfast in pushing forward our own vision and agendas.
We represent an historic movement for change: millions of women across the globe with innovative ideas, influential
constituencies and collaborative solutions. We are calling on you to ensure that women are equally represented
in everything, from your administration's infrastructure to its decision-making and solution building. We are
calling on you to exercise leadership in dismantling the structures that perpetuate gender inequality, impede
women's full participation in society and thwart real progress for people around the world.
As war rages in Gaza, it is clear that the time has come to dismantle militarism as the dominant ideology in
world politics. We must ensure that women take the lead in building lasting peace in the Middle East, ending
genocide in Darfur, stopping femicide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fighting the War on Terror in Afghanistan,
and ending the war in Iraq.
Though the select-few women who hold leadership positions in this country's political system inspire us; women
represent more than 50% of the population and deserve more than marginal representation. We believe that in order
for your vision of change to succeed, women must be in positions of power. While US women gained the right to
vote 100 years ago, to date only 14% of the US Congress are women. This must change.
The major economic, security, governance and environmental challenges of our times cannot be solved without
the equal participation of women at all levels of society — from the home to institutions of national and global
governance. Women's voices must be central in all major discussions including the economic crisis, overhauling
our education system. Long-term investments in women's education, health and leadership development are equally
critical. Economic structures continue to marginalize women. Consider this: women represent two-thirds of the
world's labor yet we own less than 1% of the world's assets.
In addition, more than 500,000 women die each year because of inadequate medical and reproductive care. Violence
against women is a pandemic that determines women's realities, impeding their access to education and economic
self-sufficiency. This global epidemic is undermining the future of the world, as women are at the heart of all
communities and families; we literally carry the future in our bodies.
Yet these are not "women's issues". In fact, such investments are vital to economic growth and the well-being
of all individuals, communities, societies and nations. Consider India's economic transformation of the past
15 years: The World Bank finds that states with the highest percentage of women in the labor force grew the fastest
and had the largest reductions in poverty.
As policy makers, activists, researchers, and grant-makers we have spent our lives investing in women and know
that these kinds of investments have immeasurable and fundamental impact for the better. Worldwide, women are
uniquely positioned to bring innovative insights and creative solutions to global leadership forums. If we hope
to improve existing economic, peace and security, and human development frameworks women must not only be included,
but must be at the heart of the discussion.
We are calling on you to be the President who ushers in the time of women. Our vision of the future is one in
which women and men are equal partners, standing shoulder to shoulder in confronting the world's challenges.
We welcome, with hope and anticipation, your shared commitment to this vision.
We represent more than half of the world's human potential. And our time has come.
Sincerely,
Linda Basch, PhD
President, National Council for Research on Women