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Sometimes it seem like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off.
Fannie Lou Hamer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Speaking the truth can be dangerous, but standing up for one's beliefs is crucial.

This quote highlights the peril involved in expressing honest opinions, particularly in oppressive environments. Fannie Lou Hamer emphasizes that despite the risks, she is committed to pushing forward in the struggle for freedom and justice, signifying the importance of courage and resilience in the face of adversity.

Themes

TruthFreedomCourageResilienceRisk

In practice

Example use cases

This quote was mentioned during a rally advocating for civil rights.

More from Fannie Lou Hamer

Never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
People have got to get together and work together. I'm tired of the kind of oppression that white people have inflicted on us and are still trying to inflict.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
One day, I know the struggle will change. There's got to be a change - not only for Mississippi, not only for the people in the United States, but people all over the world.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?
Fannie Lou HamerRead
I was forced away from the plantation because I wouldn't go back and withdraw, you know, my literacy test after I had tried to take it. I wouldn't go back.
Fannie Lou HamerRead

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