Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. Paulo Freire More Quotes by Paulo Freire More Quotes From Paulo Freire In sum: banking theory and practice, as immobilizing and fixating forces, fail to acknowledge men and women as historical beings; problem-posing theory and practice take the people's historicity as their starting point. Paulo Freire practicemenpeople It is not systematic education which somehow molds society, but, on the contrary, society which, according to its particular structure, shapes education in relation to the ends and interests of those who control the power in that society. Paulo Freire systematicmoldshapes No reality transforms itself. Paulo Freire educationalphilosophyreality No one can learn tolerance in a climate of irresponsibility, which does not produce democracy. The act of tolerating requires a climate in which limits may be established, in which there are principles to be respected. That is why tolerance is not coexistence with the intolerable. Under an authoritarian regime, in which authority is abused, or a permissive one, in which freedom is not limited, one can hardly learn tolerance. Tolerance requires respect, discipline, and ethics. Paulo Freire tolerancedisciplinedemocracy Looking at the past must only be a means of understanding more clearly what and who they are so that they can more wisely build the future. Paulo Freire understandingmeanpast In order for this struggle to have meaning, the oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity (which is a way to create it), become in turn oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the humanity of both Paulo Freire humanitystruggleorder An unauthentic word, one which is unable to transform reality, results when dichotomy is imposed upon its constitutive elements. When a word is deprived of its dimension of action, reflection automatically suffers as well; and the word is changed into idle chatter, into verbalism, into an alienated and alienating “blah.” It becomes an empty word, one which cannot denounce the world, for denunciation is impossible without a commitment to transform, and there is no transformation without action. Paulo Freire reflectionrealitycommitment One cannot conceive of objectivity without subjectivity. Paulo Freire subjectivityobjectivity The oppressed find in the oppressors their model of 'manhood.' Paulo Freire modelsoppressorsoppressed The multitude is always in the wrong. Paulo Freire originalitymultitudesconformity The road to revolution involves openness to the people, not imperviousness to them; it involves communion with the people, not mistrust. Paulo Freire communionrevolutionpeople For cultural invasion to succeed, it is essential that those invaded become convinced of their intrinsic inferiority. Paulo Freire inferiorityinvasionessentials The greatest humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves. Paulo Freire freedomtaskshistorical Organization is not only directly linked to unity, but a natural development of that unity. Accordingly, the leaders' pursuit of that unity is also an attempt to organize the people, requiring witness to the fact that the struggle for liberation is a common task." "Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people--they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress. Paulo Freire organizationstrugglepeople The role of the problem-posing educator is to create, together with the students, the conditions under which knowledge at the level of the doxa is superseded by true knowledge, at the level of the logos. Paulo Freire levelsrolestogether language is never neutral Paulo Freire language ... there is no valid teaching from which there does not emerge something learned and through which the learner does not become capable of recreating and remaking what has been taught. Paulo Freire teachingdoeteacher The oppressors do not favor promoting the community as a whole, but rather selected leaders. Paulo Freire favorscommunityleader Certain members of the oppressor class join the oppressed in their struggle for liberation. Paulo Freire membersstruggleclass The intellectual activity of those without power is always characterized as non-intellectual. Paulo Freire diversityintellectualjustice
