May each of you live lives of immersion. They won't necessarily be easy lives. But in the end, it is all that will sustain us.
Jacqueline NovogratzRead
When we were walking through the narrow alleys [of the Mathare Valley slums], it was literally impossible not to step in the raw sewage and the garbage alongside the little homes. But at the same time it was also impossible not to see the human vitality, the aspiration and the ambition of the people who live there.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts the harsh living conditions of the Mathare Valley slums with the strong spirit and aspirations of its residents.
Jacqueline Novogratz's quote highlights the paradox of life in the Mathare Valley slums, where the bleak environment is starkly juxtaposed with the perseverance and hope of its inhabitants. Despite the presence of sewage and garbage, the vitality and ambition of the people shine through, illustrating that human spirit can thrive even in the most challenging circumstances.
Themes
Matthare ValleySlumsHuman VitalityAspirationAmbition
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a presentation about poverty and resilience in urban environments.
More from Jacqueline Novogratz
All quotes →When people gain income, they gain choice, and that is fundamental to dignity.
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I've been working on issues of poverty for more than 20 years, and so it's ironic that the problem that and question that I most grapple with is how you actually define poverty. What does it mean?
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The poor don't live in functional market economies as the rest of us do, but in political economies where corruption and broken systems extend from local government to moneylenders.
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Each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And it's in the total of all those acts that the history of this generation will be written.
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Don't let people tell you to do it this way. You are on the verge of figuring out hybrid models -- with companies and nonprofits, markets, government, crowd-sourced philanthropy. The capitalist system as we know it is not working.
Jacqueline NovogratzRead
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