Steven Biko Quotes (15 Quotes)

The power of a movement lies in the fact that it can indeed change the habits of people. This change is not the result of force but of dedication, of moral persuasion.

Being black is not a matter of pigmentation - being black is a reflection of a mental attitude.

Black man, you are on your own.

Merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a subservient being.

Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time.

In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift - a more human face.

The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity.

The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.

We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our birth.

The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.

The blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game that they should be playing.

The first step therefore is to make the black man come to himself to pump back life into his empty shell to infuse him with pride and dignity, to remind him of his complicity in the crime of allowing himself to be misused and therefore letting evil reign supreme in the country of his birth.

So as a prelude whites must be made to realise that they are only human, not superior. Same with Blacks. They must be made to realise that they are also human, not inferior.

It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realize that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality.

You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway.