Cesar Chavez was an American union leader and labor organizer. He dedicated his life to improving the treatment, pay and working conditions for farmworkers. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, later renamed the United Farm Workers union. Inspirational Cesar Chavez quotes will make you think and never get out of your head.
If you’re searching for quotes from civil rights activist that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of powerful Susan B. Anthony quotes, inspirational Aretha Franklin quotes, and Ruby Bridges quotes.
Most Famous Cesar Chavez Quotes
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings. Cesar Chavez
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him the people who give you their food give you their heart. Cesar Chavez
We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves. Cesar Chavez
Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers. Cesar Chavez
We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them exploiting animals in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food. Cesar Chavez
It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non violent struggle for justice. Cesar Chavez
Kindness and compassion towards all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or against animals, is not the exclusive province of any one culture or community of people. Cesar Chavez
To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men! Cesar Chavez
Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others. Cesar Chavez
If you want to remember me, organize! Cesar Chavez
You are never strong enough that you don’t need help. Cesar Chavez
There is no such thing as defeat in non violence. Cesar Chavez
Non violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non violence is hard work. Cesar Chavez
When poor people get involved in a long conflict, such as a strike or a civil rights drive, and the pressure increases each day, there is a deep need for spiritual advice. Without it, we see families crumble, leadership weaken, and hard workers grow tired. Cesar Chavez
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. Cesar Chavez
You are never strong enough that you don’t need help. Cesar Chavez
Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. Cesar Chavez
We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure. Cesar Chavez
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him the people who give you their food give you their heart. Cesar Chavez
It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity. Cesar Chavez
Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength. Cesar Chavez
Our lives are all that really belong to us, so it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are. Cesar Chavez
Without a union, the people are always cheated, and they are so innocent. Cesar Chavez
History will judge societies and governments and their institutions not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless. César Chávez
We learned many years ago that the rich may have money, but the poor have time. Cesar Chavez
When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick. Cesar Chavez
The burdens of generations of poverty and powerlessness lie heavy in the fields of America. If we fail, there are those who will see violence as the shortcut to change. Cesar Chavez
When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are. Cesar Chavez
Farm workers are society’s canaries. Farm workers and their children demonstrate the effects of pesticide poisoning before anyone else. Cesar Chavez
There is no such thing as defeat in non violence. César Chávez
We farm workers are closest to food production. We were the first to recognize the serious health hazards of agriculture pesticides to both consumers and ourselves. Cesar Chavez
You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. César Chávez
In some cases non violence requires more militancy than violence. Cesar Chavez
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
Though many of the poor have come to see the affluent middle class as its enemy, that class actually stands between the poor and the real powers in this society the administrative octopus with its head in Washington, the conglomerates, the military complex. Cesar Chavez
We need to help students and parent cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community and this nation. César Chávez
What we do know absolutely is that human lives are worth more than grapes and that innocent looking grapes on the table may disguise poisonous residues hidden deep inside where washing cannot reach. Cesar Chavez
Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers. César Chávez
The end of all knowledge should be service to others. Cesar Chavez
We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure. César Chávez
Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. Cesar Chavez
It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. He gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on earth. It is an awesome opportunity. César Chávez
We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community and this nation. Cesar Chavez
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him the people who give you their food give you their heart. César Chávez
Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves and be free. Cesar Chavez
To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence. Cesar Chavez
Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity? Cesar Chavez
True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire. Cesar Chavez
There is no substitute for hard work, 23 or 24 hours a day. And there is no substitute for patience and acceptance. Cesar Chavez
Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. Cesar Chavez Address to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Nov. 9, 1984. Cesar Chavez
When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are. Cesar Chavez
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
There are vivid memories from my childhood what we had to go through because of low wages and the conditions, basically because there was no union. I suppose, if I wanted to be fair, I could say that I’m trying to settle a personal score. I could dramatize it by saying that I want to bring social justice to farm workers. Cesar Chavez
The people united will never be defeated. Cesar Chavez
As long as we have a poor country bordering California, it’s going to be very difficult to win strikes. Cesar Chavez
Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. Cesar Chavez
There is no law for farm labor organizing, save the law of the jungle. Cesar Chavez
Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life. Cesar Chavez
Since the Church is to be servant to the poor, it is our fault if that wealth is not channeled to help the poor in our world. Cesar Chavez
History will judge societies and governments and their institutions not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless. Cesar Chavez
Who gets the risks? The risks are given to the consumer, the unsuspecting consumer and the poor work force. And who gets the benefits? The benefits are only for the corporations, for the money makers. Cesar Chavez
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. Cesar Chavez
To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence. Cesar Chavez
Together, all things are possible. Cesar Chavez
True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire. Cesar Chavez
In giving of yourself, you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love. Cesar Chavez
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez
We have suffered unnumbered ills and crimes in the name of the Law of the Land. Our men, women, and children have suffered not only the basic brutality of stoop labor, and the most obvious injustices of the system; they have also suffered the desperation of knowing that the system caters to the greed of callous men and not to our needs. Now we will suffer for the purpose of ending the poverty, the misery, and the injustice, with the hope that our children will not be exploited as we have been. They have imposed hungers on us, and now we hunger for justice. Cesar Chavez
The people united will never be defeated. Cesar Chavez
Our struggle is not easy. Those who oppose our cause are rich and powerful and they have many allies in high places. We are poor. Our allies are few. But we have something the rich do not own. We have our bodies and spirits and the justice of our cause as our weapons. Cesar Chavez
Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. Cesar Chavez
What I do shows people what kind of person I am. Cesar Chavez
History will judge societies and governments and their institutions not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless. Cesar Chavez
Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity? Cesar Chavez
Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life. Cesar Chavez
You are never strong enough that you don’t need help. Cesar Chavez
We have suffered unnumbered ills and crimes in the name of the Law of the Land. Our men, women, and children have suffered not only the basic brutality of stoop labor, and the most obvious injustices of the system; they have also suffered the desperation of knowing that the system caters to the greed of callous men and not to our needs. Now we will suffer for the purpose of ending the poverty, the misery, and the injustice, with the hope that our children will not be exploited as we have been. They have imposed hungers on us, and now we hunger for justice. Cesar Chavez
You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. Cesar Chavez
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. Cesar Chavez
Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves and be free. Cesar Chavez
In giving of yourself, you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love. Cesar Chavez
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him the people who give you their food give you their heart. Cesar Chavez
Non violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak Non violence is hard work. Cesar Chavez
I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings. Cesar Chavez
Our struggle is not easy. Those who oppose our cause are rich and powerful and they have many allies in high places. We are poor. Our allies are few. But we have something the rich do not own. We have our bodies and spirits and the justice of our cause as our weapons. Cesar Chavez
Those who are willing to sacrifice and be of service have very little difficulty with people. They know what they are all about. People can’t help but want to be near them. They help them; they work with them. That’s what love is all about. It starts with your heart and radiates out. Cesar Chavez
Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves and be free. Cesar Chavez
Those who are willing to sacrifice and be of service have very little difficulty with people. They know what they are all about. People can’t help but want to be near them. They help them; they work with them. That’s what love is all about. It starts with your heart and radiates out. Cesar Chavez
Together, all things are possible. Cesar Chavez
