Dorothy Height Quotes: Empowering Words from a Civil Rights Icon

Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.

No one will do for you what you need to do for yourself. We cannot afford to be separate.

I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground.

We’ve got to work to save our children and do it with full respect for the fact that if we do not, no one else is going to do it.

Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.

I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom. I want to be remembered as someone who tried.

Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship.

It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.

You see, I’ve never believed that you have to be a low-income person to have a low-income spirit. And a low-income spirit means you don’t fight back.

Don’t agonize, organize.

Greatness is not measured by what a woman accomplishes, but by the opposition she has overcome to accomplish.

When you fight for justice, others will follow.

I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something.

Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, often times, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table.

Every generation has the responsibility to make things better for the next.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, don’t sit down.

I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom.

Each person must live their life as a model for others.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible.

Greatness is not measured by who you are, but by what you do.

You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

With courage you can stay with something long enough to succeed at it, acknowledging that it usually takes going through a lot of failure.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.

We?ve got to work to save our children and do it with full respect for the fact that if we do not, no one else is going to do it.

Sometimes, I am asked whether I am optimistic for the future of mankind. I always must answer that I am. My faith in man?s wisdom and his decency leads me to believe that we stand on the threshold of a new and richly promising age.

Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.