The March on Washington was a March for Jobs and Freedom. There are still too many people who are unemployed or underemployed in America - they're black, white, Latino, Native American and Asian American.
I never praised Mr. Snowden or said his actions rise to those of Mohandas Gandhi or other civil rights leaders.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote indicates a measured appreciation for Edward Snowden's actions but does not equate them with those of recognized civil rights leaders.
In this quote, John Lewis expresses his perspective on Edward Snowden's controversial whistleblowing actions. While Lewis acknowledges Snowden's courage in revealing government surveillance practices, he carefully distinguishes between Snowden's contributions and the historical impact of prominent civil rights leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, highlighting the complexity of heroism and ethical considerations in activism.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about government surveillance and whistleblowing, this quote can illustrate the complexity of heroism.
More from John Lewis
All quotes βThe scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.
Customs, traditions, laws should be flexible, within good reason, if that is what it takes to make our democracy work.
I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.'
We need someone who is going to stand up, speak up, and speak out for the people who need help, for the people who have been discriminated against.
If it hadn't been for that march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, there would be no Barack Obama as President of the United States of America.
Similar quotes
Somebody said to me the other day, 'You know, it's really senseless, what you're doing. There's always been suffering, there will always be suffering, and you're just prolonging the suffering of these children [by rescuing them].' My answer is, 'Okay, then, let's start with your grandchild. Don't buy antibiotics if it gets pneumonia. Don't take it to the hospital of it has an accident. It's against life-against humanity-to think that way.
Every American soldier wants as much public support as he can possibly have. That's the soldiers on duty in Iraq, and that's me, as well. We fight better knowing that our people back home support us, back us, and understand what we're doing. It's hugely important.
Getting to the top of any given mountain was considered much less important than how one got there: prestige was earned by tackling the most unforgiving routes with minimal equipment, in the boldest style imaginable.
I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free.
We face up to awful things because we can't go around them, or forget them. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you say 'Yes, it happened, and there's nothing I can do about it,' the sooner you can get on with your own life. You've got children to bring up. So you've got to get over it. What we have to get over, somehow we do. Even the worst things.
I worked through cancer twice. I probably worked through it too much the last time. This time, I found myself saying, 'Well, I don't feel well. I think I'll take the day off.' I think I did that even a little bit more than I needed to.