I couldn't see how we could seriously struggle without having a strong sense of collectivity, without being responsible FOR each other and TO each other. Assata Shakur More Quotes by Assata Shakur More Quotes From Assata Shakur Before going back to college, i knew i didn't want to be an intellectual, spending my life in books and libraries without knowing what the hell is going on in the streets. Theory without practice is just as incomplete as practice without theory. The two have to go together. Assata Shakur college practice book When you go through all your life processing and abusing your hair so it will look like the hair of another race of people then you are making a statement and the statement is clear Assata Shakur race hair people Schools in amerika are interested in brainwashing people with amerikanism, giving them a little bit of education, and training them in skills needed to fill the positions the capitalist system requires. As long as we expect amerika's schools to educate us, we will remain ignorant. Assata Shakur skills long school No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them. Assata Shakur giving needs To become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave. Assata Shakur slave I think that in order to struggle you have to be creative. In my life, creativity has been something that has sustained me; it awoke my spiritual struggle. Assata Shakur creativity struggle spiritual I don't have to live up to that Superwoman myth. I can cry and be human and lean on people who take care of me. That can be very liberating. Assata Shakur cry care people Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free to be so much more. Assata Shakur oppression warrior has-beens A woman’s place is in the struggle. Assata Shakur struggle We usually reach success by putting the simple truths that we know into practice. Assata Shakur simple-truths simple practice Any Black person in amerika [sic], if they are being honest with themselves, have got to come to the conclusion that they don't know what it feels like to be free. We aren't free politically, economically, or socially. We have very little power over what happens in our lives. In fact, a Black person isn't free to walk down the street. Walk down the wrong street, in the wrong neighborhood at night, and you know what happens. Assata Shakur black littles night In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves. Assata Shakur running long people Imperialism is the underlying motor of racism. The underlying reason that racism keeps on being promoted in all of its various forms. Assata Shakur imperialism racism reason There's something nice about being able to go to sleep at night saying "You know, tomorrow I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that...." I think that being an activist on this planet is a privilege and a pleasure. Assata Shakur nice sleep night I advocate revolutionary changes...an end to capitalist exploitation, the abolition of racist policies, the eradication of sexism and the elimination of political repression. If that is a crime, then I am totally guilty Assata Shakur racist revolutionary political Freedom! you askin me about freedom. I'll be honest with you. I know a whole more about what freedom isn't than about what it is, 'cause I've never been free. I can only share my vision with you of the future, about what freedom is. Assata Shakur honest vision causes Being in Cuba has allowed me to live in a society that is not at war with itself. There is a sense of community. It's a given in Cuba that, if you fall down, the person next to you is going to help you get up. Assata Shakur community war fall My energy just couldn’t stop dancing. I was caught up in the music of struggle, and i wanted to dance. Assata Shakur dancing energy struggle Love is contraband in Hell, cause love is an acid that eats away bars. But you, me, and tomorrow hold hands and make vows that struggle will multiply. The hacksaw has two blades. The shotgun has two barrels. We are pregnant with freedom. We are a conspiracy. Assata Shakur struggle love-is hands Some people spell "good" with two o's and some people spell it with one... and there shouldn't be a contradiction between that. Assata Shakur contradiction two people