John Lewis (civil rights leader) quotes

John Lewis was an American civil rights leader and prominent politician. As a key figure in the struggle for racial equality, he helped organize historic events such as the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. He devoted his life to advocating for justice, human rights, and nonviolent protest. Here are 27 of his quotes:

My parents told me in the very beginning as a young child when I raised the question about segregation and racial discrimination, they told me not to get in the way, not to get in trouble, not to make any noise. (John Lewis (civil rights leader))
The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
I thought I was going to die a few times. On the Freedom Ride in the year 1961, when I was beaten at the Greyhound bus station in Montgomery, I thought I was going to die. On March 7th, 1965, when I was hit in the head with a night stick by a State Trooper at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death, but nothing can make me question the philosophy of nonviolence. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
55 years ago today, we were beaten, tear gassed, and trampled by horses. I thought I saw death. I thought I was going to die. I don't know how I made it back, but I know we cannot rest. We cannot become weary. We must keep pushing and pulling and find a way to get in the way. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
Our nation is founded on the principle that we do not have kings. We have presidents. And the Constitution is our compass. When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?' View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
If you're not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up. You have to take that long hard look and just believe that if your consistent, you will succeed. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
To make it hard, to make it difficult almost impossible for people to cast a vote is not in keeping with the democratic process. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a sense that we are one community, one family. Really, we are the American family. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
I was so inspired by Dr. King that in 1956, with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins - I was only 16 years old - we went down to the public library trying to check out some books, and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for colors. It was a public library. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
It was not enough to come and listen to a great sermon or message every Sunday morning and be confined to those four walls and those four corners. You had to get out and do something. (John Lewis (civil rights leader))
I believe in nonviolence as a way of life, as a way of living. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
Next time we march we may have to keep going when we get to Montgomery. We may have to on to Washington. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
I know your pain, your rage, your sense of despair and hopelessness. Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long. Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way. Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here. We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
I have been in some kind of fight – for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
Our children and their children will ask us what did you do? What did you say? For some this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
In the past the great majority of minority voters, in Ohio and other places that means African American voters, cast a large percentage of their votes during the early voting process. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
If someone had told me in 1963 that one day I would be in Congress, I would have said, 'You're crazy. You don't know what you're talking about.' View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.' (John Lewis (civil rights leader))
When I was a student, I studied philosophy and religion. I talked about being patient. Some people say I was too hopeful, too optimistic, but you have to be optimistic just in keeping with the philosophy of non-violence. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
The government, both state and federal, has a duty to be reasonable and accommodating. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
You have to be optimistic in order to continue to move forward. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)
When growing up, I saw segregation. I saw racial discrimination. I saw those signs that said white men, colored men. White women, colored women. White waiting. And I didn't like it. View quote
John Lewis (civil rights leader)