Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. Inspirational human rights quotes will brighten up your day and make you feel ready to take on anything.
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Famous Human Rights Quotes
We declare that human rights are for all of us, all the time: whoever we are and wherever we are from; no matter our class, our opinions, our sexual orientation. Ban Ki-moon
To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. Nelson Mandela
Joy is found when you focus your energy on improving human dignity, human capacity and human values. Amit Ray
Activism works. So what I’m telling you to do now, is to act. Because no one is too small to make a difference. Greta Thunberg
No human being should be maltreated under any circumstances. We are all wonderful creation of God. May we affectionately love one another. Lailah Gifty Akita

It means a great deal to those who are oppressed to know that they are not alone. Never let anyone tell you that what you are doing is insignificant. Desmond Tutu
Liberty must be engraved in our heart and practiced every minute to the letter and spirit. Abhijit Naskar
A right delayed is a right denied. Martin Luther King, Jr.
You’re not under attack when others gain rights and privileges you’ve always had. DaShanne Stokes
If you want to improve your quality of life and the quality of life for all women, never stop questioning society or calling for change. Justina De Pierris
Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
My dreams for the future are simple: work, a happy, healthy family, a lovely long motorcycle ride, and continuing the struggle to awaken people to the need for serious human rights reform. Mike Farrell
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King
Some values must be universal, like human rights and the equal worth of every human being. Bjorn Ulvaeus
The candle burns not for us, but for all those whom we failed to rescue from prison, who were shot on the way to prison, who were tortured, who were kidnapped, who ‘disappeared’. That’s what the candle is for. Peter Benenson
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. […] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. Eleanor Roosevelt
The day we become silent about the things that matter is the moment our lives begin to end. Shenita Etwaroo
Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. Dalai Lama
The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. John F. Kennedy
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. Elie Wiesel
Letters aren’t just a simple gesture of solidarity, they become a source of hope and they have the potential to change people’s lives. I am living proof. Nestor Fantini
No voting on who gets to be people. N. K. Jemisin
There can be no peace without development, no development without peace, and no lasting peace or sustainable development without respect for human rights and the rule of law. Jan Eliasson
People put up walls between each other – and it’s largely down to ignorance or negative media portrayals. We fail to realize there are so many good things and so many good people in this world. John Sato
Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities. Pope Francis
Peace does not just mean putting an end to violence or war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty. Aung San Suu Kyi
A political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it, and within it is no struggle at all. Arundhati Roy
We are way more powerful when we turn to each other and not on each other, when we celebrate our diversity… and together tear down the mighty walls of injustice. Cynthia McKinney
Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood. Jimmy Carter
Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world. Malala Yousafzai
To deny people of their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. Nelson Mandela
The humanity of all Americans is diminished when any group is denied rights granted to others. Julian Bond
My government makes me angry. The police force makes me angry. Homophobia makes me angry. Luckily, anger is what motivates me. Zhanar Sekerbayeva
It is the purpose of government to see that not only the legitimate interests of the few are protected but that the welfare and rights of the many are conserved. Franklin D. Roosevelt
You can never be a first-class human being until you have learnt to have some regard for human frailty. Abhijit Naskar
Inspiring Human Rights Quotes
I never thought I’d be talking about police brutality and standing up for human rights. You never know what people are going through until it happens to you. Monicah Njoroge
Human rights must work to uplift human dignity. Rodrigo Duterte
When you deprive people of their right to live in dignity, to hope for a better future, to have control over their lives, when you deprive them of that choice, then you expect them to fight for these rights. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
There can be no peace without justice and respect for human rights. Irene Khan
Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight. Bob Marley
Life is not a matter of place, things or comfort; rather, it concerns the basic human rights of family, country, justice and human dignity. Imelda Marcos
Humanitarian work isn’t criminal, nor is it heroic. Helping others should be normal. Seán Binder
A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you. Ramsey Clark