The behavior of the oppressed is a prescribed behavior, following as it does the guidelines of the oppressor.
Paulo FreireRead
Human existence cannot be silent, nor can it be nourished by false words, but only by true words, with which people transform the world. To exist, humanly, is to name the world, to change it. Once named, the world in its turn reappears to the namers as a problem and requires of them a new naming. People are not built in silence, but in word, in work, in action-reflection.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human life and existence are shaped by genuine communication and action, emphasizing the importance of true words in transforming the world.
In this quote, Paulo Freire emphasizes that human existence is inherently vocal and active; it cannot thrive in silence or deceit. Instead, it's through authentic communication and engagement in the world that we bring about meaningful change. Words hold power, and through naming our experiences and challenges, we not only define our reality but also motivate ourselves to seek solutions. The process of reflection and action becomes a continuous cycle, where understanding and transformation go hand in hand.
Themes
Human ExistenceTrue WordsTransformationCommunicationAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social justice, one might quote this to highlight the necessity of genuine dialogue.
More from Paulo Freire
All quotes →How can the oppressed, as divided, unauthentic beings, participate in developing the pedagogy of their liberation?
Paulo FreireRead
Critical and liberating dialogue, which presupposes action, must be carried on with the oppressed at whatever the stage of their struggle for liberation. The content of that dialogue can and should vary in accordance with historical conditions and the level at which the oppressed perceive reality.
Paulo FreireRead
This is the sense in which I am obliged to be a listener. To listen to the student's doubts, fears, and incompetencies that are part of the learning process. It is in listening to the student that I learn to speak with him or her.
Paulo FreireRead
This pedagogy makes oppression and its causes objects of reflection by the oppressed, and from that reflection will come their necessary engagement in the struggle for their liberation. And in the struggle this pedagogy will be made and remade
Paulo FreireRead
The oppressors do not perceive their monopoly on having more as a privilege which dehumanizes others and themselves. They cannot see that, in the egoistic pursuit of having as a possessing class, they suffocate in their own possessions and no longer are; they merely have.
Paulo FreireRead
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