I am a political prisoner. I am a political prisoner because I am a casualty of a perennial war that is being fought between the oppressed Irish people and an alien, oppressive, unwanted regime that refuses to withdraw from our land. Bobby Sands More Quotes by Bobby Sands More Quotes From Bobby Sands They won't break me because the desire for freedom, and the freedom of the Irish people, is in my heart. The day will dawn when all the people of Ireland will have the desire for freedom to show. It is then that we will see the rising of the moon. Bobby Sands army freedom heart Our revenge will be the laughter of our children. Bobby Sands laughter happiness children My life now centered around sleepless nights and stand-bys, dodging the Brits and calming nerves to go out on operations. But the people stood by us. The people not only opened the doors of their homes to lend us a hand, but they opened their hearts to us. I learned that without the people, we could not survive and I knew that I owed them everything. Bobby Sands home heart night There can never be peace in Ireland until the foreign oppressive British presence is removed, leaving all the Irish people as a unit to control their own affairs and determine their own destinies as a sovereign people, free in mind and body, separate and distinct physically, culturally and economically. Bobby Sands destiny leaving people They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn't want to be broken. Bobby Sands broken spirit want You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea. Bobby Sands necks rope ideas I may die, but the Republic of 1916 will never die. Onward to the Republic and liberation of our people. Bobby Sands republic dying people They will not criminalise us, rob us of our true identity, steal our individualism, depoliticise us, churn us out as systemised, institutionalised, decent law-abiding robots. Never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal. Bobby Sands true-identity struggle law All things must come to pass as one, so hope should never die. There is no height or bloody might that a freeman can’t defy. There is no source or foreign force can break one man who knows that his free will no thing can kill … and from that, freedom grows. Bobby Sands height might men Never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal Bobby Sands criminals labels struggle We refuse to lie here in dishonor! We are not criminals, but Irishmen! This is the crime of which we stand accused. Bobby Sands criminals crime lying Everyone, Republican or otherwise has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something. Bobby Sands republican young play I was only a working-class boy from a Nationalist ghetto. But it is repression that creates the revolutionary spirit of freedom. Bobby Sands ghetto class boys Guns don't win wars; guns and bombs may kill a man but they cannot make him follow their lead, nor will they ever coerce an unyielding man to yield. Bobby Sands gun winning war I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world. May God have mercy on my soul. Bobby Sands hunger-strike soul world I'll wear no convicts uniform nor meekly serve my time that Britain might brand Irelands fight 800 years of crime. Bobby Sands fighting might years Generations will continue to meet the same fate unless the perennial oppressor-Britain-is removed, for she will unashamedly and mercilessly continue to maintain her occupation and economic exploitation of Ireland to judgment day, if she is not halted and ejected. Bobby Sands occupation fate generations We must see our present fight right through to the very end. Bobby Sands fighting ends I was a skeleton compared to what I used to be, but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered except remaining unbroken. Bobby Sands skeleton nothing used matter I am (even after all the torture) amazed at British logic. Never in eight centuries have they succeeded in breaking the spirit of one man who refused to be broken. They have not dispirited, conquered, nor demoralised my people, nor will they ever. Bobby Sands i-am man broken people
