While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive.
Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger darken the lives and dreams of 12 million children and their families? I believe that, when Americans learn the facts and understand how their involvement can make a difference, banishing childhood hunger will be a national, local and personal priority.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Childhood hunger in America is a tragic contradiction given the nation's wealth, and awareness can drive change.
This quote highlights the shocking reality of childhood hunger in America, framing it as both a tragedy and a paradox. Despite being the wealthiest nation, millions of children suffer from hunger, raising questions about societal priorities. Martin Sheen emphasizes the importance of awareness and personal involvement in addressing this issue, suggesting that collective action can transform childhood hunger from an overlooked problem into a national and local priority that affects everyone.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a charity event, we can quote Martin Sheen to raise awareness about childhood hunger.
More from Martin Sheen
All quotes →I am still a journeyman actor and a peace and justice activist. I'm a pilgrim trying to win my freedom and serve as best I can in the time I have, with this gift I've been given.
When I reached adulthood, even now, I could afford to belong to a country club. But I could never belong to a private club because of my experience as a child, because it would isolate me from the whole of humanity.
Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it, when you knew the glaciers were melting.
My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. Without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart.
I honestly do not know if civil disobedience has any effect on the government. I can promise you it has a great effect on the person who chooses to do it.
Similar quotes
Most Americans have never seen the ignorance, degradation, hunger, sickness, and futility in which many other Americans live...They won't become involved in economic or political change until something brings the seriousness of the situation home to them.
The only news most people ever hear about the inner city comes from grim headlines; the only residents they can name are characters on 'The Wire.' Of course, ignorance of a community doesn't stop outsiders from having opinions about it or passing laws that govern it.
I wanted to have a body of work behind me before I wrote about racism.
Child labor perpetuates poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, population growth and other social problems.
The news media's silence, particularly television news, is reprehensible. If we knew as much about Darfur as we do about Michael Jackson, we might be able to stop these things from continuing.
We have failed to fully appreciate how deeply housing is implicated in the creation of poverty.