The people are the only ones capable of transforming society. Rigoberta Menchu More Quotes by Rigoberta Menchu More Quotes From Rigoberta Menchu Peace cannot exist without justice, justice cannot exist without fairness, fairness cannot exist without development, development cannot exist without democracy, democracy cannot exist without respect for the identity and worth of cultures and peoples. Rigoberta Menchu respect native-american peace We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle, or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism. Rigoberta Menchu racism zoos past This world's not going to change unless we're willing to change ourselves. Rigoberta Menchu willing-to-change this-world world What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. Rigoberta Menchu treasure dream beautiful I am like a drop of water on a rock. After drip, drip, dripping in the same place, I begin to leave a mark, and I leave my mark in many people's hearts. Rigoberta Menchu rocks heart people The human being is to be respected and defended, not protected like a bird or a river. Rigoberta Menchu humans rivers bird ...instead of giving a rifle to somebody, build a school; instead of giving a rifle, build a community with adequate services. Instead of giving a rifle, develop an educational system that is not about conflict and violence, but one that promotes respect for values, for life, and respect for one's elders. This requires a huge investment. Yet if we can invest in a different vision of peaceful coexistence, I think we can change the world, because every problem has a nonviolent answer. Rigoberta Menchu educational school thinking We have learned that change cannot come through war. War is not a feasible tool to use in fighting against the oppression we face. War has caused more problems. We cannot embrace that path. Rigoberta Menchu fighting war peace We say no to the peace that keeps us on our knees, no to the peace that keeps us in chains, no to the false peace that denies the values and contributions of our peoples. Rigoberta Menchu knees deny chains I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for evading the responsibility of finding the most suitable path toward the elimination of any expression of discrimination against indigenous peoples. Rigoberta Menchu xenophobia respect believe The culture of death is imposed by economic and political interests, the arrogance of power, corruption. I blame the first world for having taken our riches for so many years. I am speaking of the superpowers that dominate the life of the world. More concretely, the World Bank, the IMF. Those that have caused and tolerated the death of our people, those responsible for the plundering of the third world. Silence is also part of repression. Rigoberta Menchu taken people years ... only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risks. Rigoberta Menchu risk heart running The Mayas, our grandparents, always said; every human being occupies a small piece of time. Time itself is much longer, and because of this they always said that we must care for this earth while we are on it because it will be part of our children and the children of our grandchildren. They know that life is short, that it can end so soon, and that if one gets lost on the way, others will come to take their place. Rigoberta Menchu grandparent life-is-short children I think that nonviolence is one way of saying that there are other ways to solve problems, not only through weapons and war. Nonviolence also means the recognition that the person on one side of the trench and the person on the other side of the trench are both human beings, with the same faculties. At some point they have to begin to understand one another. Rigoberta Menchu war mean thinking In my opinion, peace has not come to America, to Nicaragua, or to El Salvador. A hungry people is a people without peace. If the demands of the people are not met, what kind of peace are we talking about? Rigoberta Menchu talking america people To be a light to others you will need a good dose of the spiritual life. Because as my mother used to say, if you are in a good place, then you can help others; but if you're not well, then go look for somebody who is in a good place who can help you. Rigoberta Menchu spiritual god mother I wish that a conscious sense of peace and a feeling of human solidarity would develop in all peoples. Rigoberta Menchu conscious wish feelings There is not one world for man and one for animals, they are part of the same one and lead parallel lives. Rigoberta Menchu animal men world Today the governments of Latin America should be ashamed of not havingexterminated the indigenous, at the end of the twentieth century, because weexist at the end of this century. We are not myths of the past, ruins in thejungle, or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims ofintolerance and racism. Rigoberta Menchu latin zoos past In the case of my country, Guatemala, 65% of the inhabitants are indigenous. The constitution speaks of protection for the indigenous. Who authorized a minority to protect an immense majority? It is not only political, cultural and economic marginalization, it is an attempt against the dignity of the majority of the population. Rigoberta Menchu majority political country
