Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.

Cesar Chavez
Address to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Nov. 9, 1984

History will judge societies and governments — and their institutions — not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.

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Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.

Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.

I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings.

Our lives are all that really belong to us, so it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are

The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.

We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.

Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.

We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them — exploiting animals in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food.

Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.

We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.

We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.