Desmond Tutu Quotes (27 Quotes)


    You must show the world that you abhor fighting.

    In the land of my birth I cannot vote, whereas a young person of eighteen can vote. And why? Because he or she possesses that wonderful biological attribute - a white skin.

    The central concern is the healing of breaches, the redressing of imbalances, the restoration of broken relationship, a seeking to rehabilitate both the victim and the perpetrator, who should be given opportunity to be reintegrated into the community he has injured by his offense.

    I don't preach a social gospel I preach the Gospel, period. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned for the whole person. When people were hungry, Jesus didn't say, Now is that political or social He said, I feed you. Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.

    I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum.


    You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.

    We in Africa wonder Can the world outside see the human beings -- or the potential partners -- behind the unrelenting despair.

    We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.

    Children are a wonderful gift. They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are.

    My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.

    Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

    When a pile of cups is tottering on the edge of the table and you warn that they will crash to the ground, in South Africa you are blamed when that happens.

    What is black empowerment when it seems to benefit not the vast majority but an elite that tends to be recycled?

    I said yes, and Tutu said, 'He's not very articulate,' which he isn't. He said, 'Is he the most loved man in the world' I said yes. 'Who is the most loved woman' Mother Teresa was still alive at the time, so I said her. He replied, 'Yes, and what are these people These people are good. And why do we love them Because they warm us. They warm us.'

    Sometimes people think (that) to see that we are family is to be sentimental. But one has to say This is one of the most radical things, actually. When we do what we think is charitable, it isn't anything more than our obligation as family members.

    Be nice to the whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.

    If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

    We have frequently gone into denial when faced with unpleasant, unpalatable facts and now we are hearing from governments in Africa that they are not going into denial but that they are facing up to a horrendous situation forthwith,

    The World Cup will be more than just a football tournament

    A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons.

    Niger is not an isolated island of desperation. It lies within a sea of problems across Africa - particularly the 'forgotten emergencies' in poor countries or regions with little strategic or material appeal.

    When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

    For goodness sake, will they hear, will white people hear what we are trying to say? Please, all we are asking you to do is to recognize that we are humans, too.

    We would like to see you departing peacefully.


    Those who invest in South Africa should not think they are doing us a favor; they are here for what they get out of our cheap and abundant labor, and they should know that they are buttressing one of the most vicious systems.

    I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.


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