In South Africa, I feel I am a stranger, at best an animal.
Oliver TamboRead
There is no way a spirit of resistance that has sunk so deep in the population can be repressed.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that deep-seated resistance among people cannot be easily suppressed.
Oliver Tambo's quote reflects the idea that when a spirit of resistance is firmly rooted within the populace, it cannot be extinguished or ignored. It suggests that societal change is driven by the collective will and determination of individuals who oppose oppression, and regardless of external attempts to suppress such sentiments, the spirit of resistance will ultimately prevail.
In practice
During a speech at a rally for social justice, one might use this quote to inspire the crowd to continue fighting for their rights.
In South Africa, I feel I am a stranger, at best an animal.
The more pressure you bring from without, the less internal pressure is necessary.
The sanctions will not kill us. It's apartheid that's killing us.
How do you deal with a criminal that will not listen to what you have to say and who continues his policy of violence? Some say you continue to talk and let him tire himself out. But nearly 40 years after the institution of apartheid, is there anyone who still believes that verbal persuasion will work?
The U.S. is the last country that should see itself as an ally of the apartheid system.
It was of limited usefulness to head great rallies. The government did not listen, and, soon enough, the tear gas and the muzzles of the guns were turned against the people. The justice of our cries went unrecognized.
One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.
I remember one of them - it was a 1941 black Ford. As it went by very slow, a guy leaned out with a shotgun, keeping a bead on us all the time, and we just had to walk slowly and wait for him to kill us... They didn't kill us, but they didn't end it, either.
We cannot keep turning our backs on gay and lesbian Americans. I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
I didn't wake up and decide to become an activist. But you couldn't help notice the inequities, the injustices. It was all around you.
If my body dies, let my body die, but do not let my country die.
I wanted to take part in the liberation of even a small piece of enslaved Latin America.
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