So long as we only believe in the justice of the state, of the law-made by those in power, to serve those in power-so long will we continue to be exploited by those in power.
When dams were erected on the Columbia, salmon battered themselves against the concrete, trying to return home. I expect no less from us. We too must hurl ourselves against and through the literal and metaphorical concrete that contains and constrains us, that keeps us from talking about what is most important to us, that keeps us from living the way our bones know we can, that bars us from our home. It only takes one person to bring down a dam.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of persevering against obstacles to achieve true freedom and fulfillment.
Derrick Jensen's quote reflects the struggle against both tangible and intangible barriers that prevent individuals from expressing their true selves and connecting with what genuinely matters to them. By comparing human resilience to the tenacity of salmon trying to return home despite physical barriers, Jensen inspires a sense of courage and determination to break through limitations, suggesting that even one person’s effort can lead to significant change and liberation.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming adversity, you can use this quote to inspire your audience.
More from Derrick Jensen
All quotes →The stories we are told shape the way we see the world, which shapes the way we experience the world.
Those in power have made it so we have to pay simply to exist on the planet. We have to pay for a place to sleep, and we have to pay for food. If we don't, people with guns come and force us to pay. That's violent.
So many indigenous people have said to me that the fundamental difference between Western and indigenous ways of being is that even the most open-minded westerners generally view listening to the natural world as a metaphor, as opposed to the way the world really is. Trees and rocks and rivers really do have things to say to us.
The big dividing line is not and has never been between those who advocate more or less militant forms of resistance, or between mainstream and grassroots activists. The dividing line is between those who do something and those who do nothing.
By deafening ourselves to the emotional consequences of violence we have become confused by its relationship to sex. We have come to believe that violence equals aggression, and we have come to base our model of sexuality on our model of violence... converting an act of aggression into an act of consensual sexuality.
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Cover a war in a place where you can't drink beer or talk to a woman? Hell no!
The person who runs away exposes himself to that very danger more than a person who sits quietly.
You can't get to courage without walking through vulnerability.
God has always given me the strength to say what is right.
Slavery is something that is all too often swept under the carpet. The shame doesn't even belong to us, but we still experience it because we're a part of the African race. If it happened to one, it happened to all. We carry that burden.
I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war.