One person can make a difference, even if it takes forty years.
Fred KorematsuRead
All of them turned their backs on me at that time because they thought I was a troublemaker.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the isolation faced by individuals standing up against injustice, often branded as troublemakers by society.
Fred Korematsu's quote captures the profound loneliness and resilience of individuals who, in standing up for what they believe is right, may find themselves ostracized by those around them. It highlights the struggle against societal norms and the courage required to confront injustice, even when it leads to personal loss and alienation.
Themes
CourageInjusticeResilienceOstracismTroublemaker
In practice
Example use cases
A speech about social justice at a rally.
More from Fred Korematsu
All quotes βAs long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without a trial or a hearing.
Fred KorematsuRead
I lost everything when they put us in prison. I was an enemy alien, a man without a country.
Fred KorematsuRead
Every day in school, we said the pledge to the flag, 'with liberty and justice for all,' and I believed all that.
Fred KorematsuRead
I'm Asian, so they assumed I'm not an American and that I come from Japan. Restaurants would refuse to serve me, and places would refuse to give you a haircut.
Fred KorematsuRead
My folks were so worried about what they were going to do. All they can take was what they could carry with their hands. What they had for twenty-five years of building their business was going to go out the door, or they're going to lose it.
Fred KorematsuRead
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If any man has left us for fear of Nero, I shall not account him a coward; but I shall hail as a philosopher any man who has been superior to this fear, and I shall teach him all I know.
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I just do whatever it is that I believe I should do, regardless of the risks to my life.
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I never thought about myself as an activist when we were coming along. I love the people I love. I didn't care whether they could be a Democrat, Republican, communist... anything but a racist.
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