The balancing of the budget will not in itself place a teaspoonful of milk in a hungry baby's stomach, or remove the rags from its mother's back.
John L. LewisRead
The workers of the nation were tired of waiting for corporate industry to right their economic wrongs, to alleviate their social agony and to grant them their political rights. Despairing of fair treatment, they resolved to do something for themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the need for workers to take action for their rights when they feel neglected by corporations and the government.
John L. Lewis highlights the frustration and despair of workers who have been overlooked by corporate entities and the political system. Tired of waiting for change, they decided to take control of their situation and advocate for their own rights. This quote speaks to the power of self-advocacy and the necessity for workers to unite and demand justice, rather than relying solely on external forces.
Themes
WorkersRightsCorporateJusticeAdvocacyChange
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on labor rights, one might use this quote to inspire activists to take a stand.
More from John L. Lewis
All quotes →The labor movement is organized upon a principle that the strong shall help the weak.
John L. LewisRead
The organized workers of America, free in their industrial life, conscious partners in production, secure in their homes and enjoying a decent standard of living, will prove the finest bulwark against the intrusion of alien doctrines of government.
John L. LewisRead
Courage is not how a man stands or falls, but how he gets back up again
John L. LewisRead
The union miner cannot agree to the acceptance of a wage principle which will permit his annual earnings and his living standards to be determined by the hungriest unfortunates whom the non-union operators can employ.
John L. LewisRead
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