Teaching has always been, for me, linked to issues of social justice. I've never considered it a neutral or passive profession. Bill Ayers More Quotes by Bill Ayers More Quotes From Bill Ayers Being an activist and an artist - those two things should go together. You should allow the artistic sensibility to control some of your activism, but never should it be allowed to paralyze you. Bill Ayers artist together two Whether or not the working class came to Chicago in 1969 in the Days of Rage is not a measure of their commitment to stopping the war or to seeing life in certain way. There were very few of us who were there, and those of us that were had an illusion about ourselves. Bill Ayers class war commitment The massive anti-war movement, which I was a part of and which was a major part of my life, never stopped the war in Vietnam. Bill Ayers vietnam movement war I wanted a racially just society. I wanted to end wars. I wanted to end white supremacy. I wanted to create a world that was based on egalitarianism, sharing, racial justice. Bill Ayers egalitarianism white war Writing a memoir has a particularly excited sense of narcissism. Bill Ayers narcissism excited writing I spoke at the University of Georgia, and a whole contingent of Tea Party people in Hell's Angels regalia came in and sat in the front and scowled at me while I gave my talk. And afterwards the head of the group got to the microphone and said, I'm surprised that I agree with almost everything you said, but I'm worried that you're a big government guy. Bill Ayers party government angel To me, activism requires you to try very hard to open your eyes to the world as it is. See as much as you can, knowing that whatever you see is going to be partial. That you possess a partial consciousness in an infinite and expanding universe. Bill Ayers expanding-universe eye knowing Art and activism can be symbiotic. They don't have to be, of course; they can also be contradictory. Bill Ayers activism contradictory art There's something so remarkable in the intensity of taking care of somebody who can't take care of him or herself. And then watching that little person bloom into adolescence. Bill Ayers intensity care littles Who's the big government guy? These labels are nonsense. And the Tea Party, if you want to call them working class, you know, a working-class insurgency from below, they are a mass of contradictions; they don't have a single consistent viewpoint; but part of their impulse is to be wary of government. Bill Ayers party government class You will be raising these kids in your mind your whole life. And they will change you. Your little contribution to it - twenty years from now, they'll be marching off into other things and that's still the legacy you leave. Bill Ayers mind kids years The rhythm of being an activist today involves a pretty simple rhythm. You have to open your eyes to the reality before you. You have to look and see. Bill Ayers eye simple reality Your body's always going through changes. It's fattening or thinning or wrinkling or blotching, and the only thing you really have control over is putting some decoration on it. Bill Ayers fattening going-through-changes body I'm wary of government. Part of [the Tea Party] impulse is to dislike and be worried about the rich. I'm that way too. So I don't find them to be as atrocious as most people do, as your liberals do. I'm not a liberal. Bill Ayers party government people Can we imagine a different world? I can. That's a world where work is rational, it's in the common good, and we're actually producing real things rather than spinning our wheels in dreams of consumer heaven. Bill Ayers real dream heaven I breathed the air of deliverance through books, and through books I leapt over the walls of confinement. Bill Ayers wall air book I was involved in the anti-war movement. Bill Ayers involved movement war We should open our eyes, see what's in front of us, and act. Bill Ayers fronts eye should Imperialism or globalization - I don't have to care what it's called to hate it. Bill Ayers imperialism care hate The nice thing about being detained in Canada is it's like being in a Days Inn; it's very clean and very nice. Bill Ayers clean canada nice
