Remember and help America remember that the fellowship of human beings is more important than the fellowship of race and class and gender in a democratic society.
Marian Wright EdelmanRead
If we think we have ours and don't owe any time or money or effort to help those left behind, then we are a part of the problem rather than the solution to the fraying social fabric that threatens all Americans and the very dream that is America.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It is our responsibility to help those less fortunate to strengthen society as a whole.
Marian Wright Edelman's quote emphasizes the importance of communal responsibility and solidarity in society. She argues that if individuals neglect to support those who are struggling, they contribute to the deterioration of social cohesion and undermine the American ideal of equality and opportunity for all. The quote underlines the shared obligation to uplift others as a necessary step for achieving a more just and equitable society.
Themes
CommunityResponsibilitySocial FabricHelping OthersSolidarity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a community service speech to encourage volunteerism.
More from Marian Wright Edelman
All quotes →Far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.
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Dr. King used to say, 'I was sitting in the back of the bus, but my mind was always up front.' Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. You aim high and you work very hard and now I think it's clear that you can be anything you want to.
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The outside world told black kids when I was growing up that we weren't worth anything. But our parents said it wasn't so, and our churches and our schoolteachers said it wasn't so. They believed in us, and we, therefore, believed in ourselves.
Marian Wright EdelmanRead
I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living - the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals.
Marian Wright EdelmanRead
We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who will keep seeding and building transforming movements.
Marian Wright EdelmanRead
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