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Cornel West Quotes

All Quotes Accountability Addiction Arrogance Children Church Commitment Community Compassion Country Culture Democracy Dialogue Evidence Evil Fighting Genius Giving Greatness Greed Hatred Healing Heart Hip Hop House Humanity Inequality Inspirational Integrity Jazz Jesus Joy Justice Language Legacy Loneliness Luther Lying Morning Obsession Optimism Overcoming Pain Passion Philosophy Pleasure Quality Racism Rage Reading Sacrifice Sadness School Serving Others Silence Slavery Soul Struggle Suffering Values Wall War Wealth White Supremacy Wrestling

You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people.

You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people.

People, Ifs

Twitter post from Oct 19, 2010

There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.

Lying, Pay, Living A Lie

Twitter post from Jun 17, 2011

Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public

Love, Justice, Looks

Twitter post from Oct 28, 2010

The country is in deep trouble. We've forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it. We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people, the courage to fight for social justice. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that's the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word.

Life, Country, Patience

Hope and optimism are different. Optimism tends to be based on the notion that there's enough evidence out there to believe things are gonna be better, much more rational, deeply secular, whereas hope looks at the evidence and says, "It doesn't look good at all. Doesn't look good at all. Gonna go beyond the evidence to create new possibilities based on visions that become contagious to allow people to engage in heroic actions always against the odds, no guarantee whatsoever." That's hope. I'm a prisoner of hope, though. Gonna die a prisoner of hope.

Believe, Odds, People

Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope.

Hope, Courage, Compassion

FaceBook post by Dr. Cornel West from Jun 16, 2010

Our politicians have sacrificed their principles on the altar of special interests; our corporate leaders have sacrificed their integrity on the altar of profits; and our media watchdogs have sacrificed the voice of dissent on the altar of audience competition.

Integrity, Media, Voice

Cornel West (2005). “Democracy matters: winning the fight against imperialism”, Penguin Classics

The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.

Inspirational, Giving, Purpose Driven Life

It takes tremendous discipline, takes tremendous courage, to think for yourself, to examine yourself.

Thinking, Discipline, Think For Yourself

Source: genius.com

We are who we are because somebody loved us.

Who We Are

Cornel West (2011). “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, a Memoir”, p.251, ReadHowYouWant.com

When ordinary people wake up, elites begin to tremble in their boots.

People, Ordinary, Wake Up

Twitter post from May 27, 2010

You have to have a habitual vision of greatness ... you have to believe in fact that you will refuse to settle for mediocrity. You won't confuse your financial security with your personal integrity, you won't confuse your success with your greatness or your prosperity with your magnanimity ... believe in fact that living is connected to giving.

Integrity, Believe, Greatness

You must let suffering speak, if you want to hear the truth

Suffering, Want, Speak

You've got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate of opinion; a thermometer just reflects it.

Climate, Shapes, Opinion

FaceBook post by Dr. Cornel West from Jul 26, 2011

If the Kingdom of God is in you, you should leave a little bit of heaven wherever you go.

Heaven, Littles, Kingdoms

When you are fundamentally committed to something that is right, you just decide to go down fighting. Period.

Fighting, Periods, Committed

Source: www.pbs.org

We have to be militants for kindness, subversive for sweetness and radicals for tenderness.

Kindness, Radical, Sweetness

Courage is being true to yourself, true to a sense of integrity.

Integrity, Be True To Yourself, True To Yourself

Source: www.interviewmagazine.com

To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word.

Despair, Lasts, Last Words

Cornel West (1998). “Restoring Hope: Conversations on the Future of Black America”, G K Hall & Company

Too many young folk have addiction to superficial things and not enough conviction for substantial things like justice, truth and love.

Love, Truth, Superficial Things

Reelection ought not to be the primary preoccupation of any politician. It ought to be standing up for truth and justice.

Justice, Reelection, Politician

"Dr. Cornel West’s Prognosis for the Country’s Prospects". Interview with Kam Williams, www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com.

A fully functional multiracial society cannot be achieved without a sense of history and open, honest dialogue.

Honest, Dialogue, Multiracial

Twitter post from Aug 05, 2009

None of us alone can save the nation or the world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so. (p. 109)

Differences, World, Commit

FaceBook post by Dr. Cornel West from Feb 05, 2013

Music is what we need when language fails us, but we cannot remain silent.

Music, Needs, Jazz

You've got to love yourself enough, not only so that others will be able to love you, but that you'll be able to love others.

Self Esteem, Love You, Able

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