I believed that, in a situation where the community that I came from were being treated like second- and third-class citizens, that I had a responsibility to fight back against it. And I don't apologise to anybody for having done that. I think it was the right thing to do.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a commitment to standing up against injustice and taking responsibility for one's community.
In this quote, Martin McGuinness emphasizes the moral obligation he felt to combat the discrimination and marginalization faced by his community. He asserts that fighting against such injustice is not something to be ashamed of, but rather a principled stance that he believes was necessary and right.
In practice
During a speech about civil rights, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of fighting injustice.
British rule depends upon repression and collaboration and the Irish people should recognise that those who collaborate with Britain in exchange for a slice of the cake will implement British policy and remain silent when Irish people are murdered and oppressed. It is they who are responsible for prolonging the war in Ireland. Without the quislings, without the collaborators, we would already have reached freedom.
What's important is that, when you're tested, you stand firm against the violent activities of those who would try to plunge our people back into the misery of the past.
The reality is that the people that we represent are no longer going to be second-class citizens in their own country.
The only difference between me and those other great Yankees is my skin color.
In firing his gun, John Brown has merely told what time of day it is. It is high noon.
To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.
If not now, then when? If not you, then who? If we are able to answer these fundamental questions, then perhaps we can wipe away the blot of human slavery.
Behold a worthy sight, to which the God, turning his attention to his own work, may direct his gaze. Behold an equal thing, worthy of a God, a brave man matched in conflict with evil fortune.
Over the years my mother's steadfast faith in God has inspired me, particularly when I had to perform extremely difficult surgical procedures or when I found myself faced with my own medical scare.
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