Manal al-Sharif quotes

Manal al-Sharif is a Saudi Arabian women's rights activist and computer scientist. Best known for her role in the women’s right to drive movement in Saudi Arabia, she was imprisoned for driving a car and later became a powerful voice for social change. She continues to advocate for women's rights and freedom of expression in the Arab world. Here are 38 of her quotes:

The rain starts with a single drop. (Manal al-Sharif)
We won't stop until the first Saudi license is issued to a woman. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
While people are celebrating on Sunday we shouldn't forget the people who fought for lifting this ban are in jail. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
A child cannot be free if his/her mother is not free. A husband cannot be free if his wife is not free. The society is nothing if women are nothing. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
Women tell me they are different since 21 May - the day I was arrested - it's a positive change, they believe now. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
Freedom for me is to live with dignity, and if my dignity and freedom is controlled by a man, I will never be free. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I am so happy I want to be there. I know Saudi Arabia will never be the same again, women will have easy access to transportation and that means they will be more part of the workforce. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
It took me a long, long time to break the chains that's inside me. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
All I did was ask for rights. I didn't attack anyone. I didn't harass anyone. I didn't oppose the system or the country or the authority. All I said is, 'Why can't I drive?' View quote
Manal al-Sharif
Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids, even serve as teachers and doctors, but they aren't trusted with their own lives. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
In Saudi Arabia, they always tell us we are queens. We are pistachios. You know the nut? Like something that is protected. So even if you have a very good education, restraints are put on women. (Manal al-Sharif)
Who do you think is more difficult to face: oppressive governments, or oppressive societies? View quote
Manal al-Sharif
Women driving is just the first step - we have a long way to go. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
When you see corruption, when you see injustice, you speak up. You don't just shut up and say it's none of my business. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I almost got kidnapped trying to find a taxi in the street. In Saudi Arabia, it's not normal for a woman to walk in the street alone, and I don't cover my face, so I am an open target. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
We should not label people who speak up, because it should not be the exception - it should be the norm. When you see something wrong, you speak up. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
The Saudi ideal of a woman is a religious mother who rarely ventures out: She shouldn't work with men, she should be completely covered, and she shouldn't go out alone to run errands. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I love my sons, I love my husband, and I love my country. But in kingdoms of men, there are few - if any - choices for women. Or the choices are such that there is no greater pain than having to choose. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I'm just a human being who would not accept being wronged. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
The bicycle freed 19th-century women from their homes and from their dependence on men. I hope that in Saudi Arabia, the car will do the same. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I always say that countries that keep women in the backseat will always end up on the wrong side of history. (Manal al-Sharif)
Everything is possible; we just need to be hopeful and think of the world from a human perspective. The world is so small compared to the universe, so we shouldn't fight for petty things. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
I measure the impact I make by how harsh the attacks are. The harsher the attacks, the better I am doing. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
That is life for a Saudi woman: wherever we go, whatever we achieve, we are the property of a man. View quote
Manal al-Sharif
When women break that taboo and they're not afraid to drive that car by herself - that's it. Now she has the guts to speak up for herself and take action. View quote
Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif - Image
Photo: Manal al-Shraif, CC BY-SA 3.0
Occupation: Saudi Arabian Activist
Born: April 25, 1979
Quotes count: 38

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