Everyone—all of us, every last person on God’s earth—deserves decent shelter. It speaks to the most basic of human needs—our home—the soil from which all of us, every last person, either blossom or wither. We each have need of food, clothing, education, medical care, and companionship; but first, we must have a place to live and grow.
Interpretation
Everyone deserves a safe and decent place to live as a fundamental human need.
This quote emphasizes the essential nature of shelter as a basic human requirement, suggesting that a safe and decent home is crucial for personal growth and development. It highlights how shelter is foundational not just for survival, but for flourishing in life, underscoring that without a proper home, individuals cannot thrive in other areas such as education, health, and companionship.
In practice
During a speech on social justice, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of housing.
If resources become scarce, people tend to fight for them. This is increasing the number of people on the move and the number of people forced to move. They're not refugees, according to the legal definition, but they represent a major humanitarian and human rights challenge, as well as a major challenge for world politics.
AIDS is no longer just a disease, it is a human rights issue.
Twenty-five million people who live in North Korea are denied freedom in every respect of their lives. In short, they are hostages. Imagine 25 million hostages.
This is our country, our water. We're entitled to a good life. It's a human rights issue.
So on this Human Rights Day, let us rededicate ourselves to the advancement of human rights and freedoms for all, and pledge always to live by the ideals we promote to the world.
Human rights, human freedoms... and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world... while the state is a human creation, human beings are the creation of God.
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