Rosa Parks Quotes

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Each person must have a concern for the dignity and worth of every other person.

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.

I’d like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.

When the opportunity presented itself for me to defy my oppressors, I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.

What really matters is not whether we have problems, but how we go through them and grow through them.

I would like to be remembered as a person who stood up for what she believed in.

I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.

The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed.

God has always given me the strength to say what is right.

Only in the darkness can you see the stars.

I have learned that over the years as I have discussed issues with people, sometimes you come away thinking they were thinking one thing, only to find that they were thinking something completely different.

I was just trying to let them know how it felt to be treated like that.

I thought of Emmett Till, and I couldn’t go back. My legs and feet were not hurting, that is a stereotype. I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn’t go back.

There is just so much hurt, disappointment, and oppression one can take… The line between reason and madness grows thinner.

The only thing that made Rosa Parks seem different was that she spelled it out for us. Her rebellion was essentailly colorless.

To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.

I wasn’t going to let them take me like that. I had made up my mind not to give in.

If I had said, ‘Well, I’ll go along with segregation for a little longer,’ where would it end?

I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move.

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

I had to do it as an individual. No one else could have done it.

It was not pre-arranged. It just happened that the driver made a demand and infringed upon my rights… I had done a lot of walking in my life and this was not the first time I had been asked to move.

I just wish I could be treated as a human being.

I don’t think there is such a thing as being too militant for your freedom.

When I made that decision, I knew that I had the strength of my ancestors with me.

There is a true power in standing up for what you believe in, even when it seems impossible.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

You can never be successful if you allow others to define your worth.

I could sense that for them, I was not a person but a symbol.

The seat I took on the bus was legally mine.

There is no future without equality.

Sometimes it is better to dissent instead of going along with injustice.

I had made a decision that I was no longer willing to accept the inferior treatment given to black people.

If you let anybody override what you feel, you’re doing what they want you to do.

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.

Our mistreatment was just not fair, and I wanted to benefit black adults as well as children.

The place of the artist is to reflect the times.

I was arrested on the evening of Thursday, December 5, 1955, for refusing to obey the Jim Crow laws and give up my bus seat on the above date in Montgomery, Alabama.

I did not move because I was physically tired, or because I was old. I did not move because I did not feel like doing all right. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then.

We were oppressed beyond all imaginations.

I had not been active in civil rights work, but I had been part of the movement.

You must have courage. Where you see something is wrong, you must have the courage to resist it.

I felt relieved and proud to have taken a stand.

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

My philosophy of freedom is still work in progress.

Rosa sat so that Martin could walk. Martin walked so that Barack could run. Barack ran so that our children can soar.

The only tired I was, was tired of giving in to an evil system.