45 Cesar Chavez Quotes on Life, Education and Community

In honor of Labor Day weekend, it's only appropriate we share some powerful Cesar Chavez quotes to inspire you. Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist whose legacy continues to inspire folks today. Chavez experienced the struggles of migrant farmworkers and their families and thus, devoted his life to advocating for better working conditions, fair wages and social justice. 

"Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed," as Chavez once boldly stated. He continued to prove that through his work. Chavez powerfully advocated for farmworkers through nonviolent protest, boycotts and grassroots organizing. His leadership in the Delano grape strike and nationwide grape boycott marked a turning point in the labor movement.

Chavez was the walking personification that you don't need to be violent to get a message across. His commitment to nonviolence, respect for all people and dedication to building a more equitable society will continue to inspire folks for generations. These 45 impactful quotes by Cesar Chavez continue to resonate, reminding us of the importance of community and the pursuit of justice. 

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45 Cesar Chavez Quotes

1. "We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure."

2. "Self-dedication is a spiritual experience."

3. "Being of service is not enough. You must become a servant of the people. When you do, you can demand their commitment in return."

4. "It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life."

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5. "You are never strong enough that you don't need help."

6. "Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."

7. "When a man or woman, young, or old, takes a place on the picket line for even a day or two, he will never be the same again."

8. "To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence."


9. "True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire."

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10. "Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win."

11. "It’s ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves."

12. "When you have people together who believe in something very strongly—whether it’s religion or politics or unions—you can accomplish something that’s magical."

13. "History will judge societies and governments – and their institutions – not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless."

14. "The first principle of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating."

15. "The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people."

16. "To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men!"

17. "From the depth of need an despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength."

18. "Thus, demonstrations and marches, strikes and boycotts are not only weapons against the growers, but our way of avoiding the senseless violence that brings no honor to any class or community. The boycott, as Gandhi taught, is the most nearly perfect instrument of nonviolent change, allowing masses of people to participate actively in a cause."

19. "I am an organizer, not a union leader. A good organizer has to work hard and long. There are no shortcuts. You just keep talking to people, working with them, sharing, exchanging and they come along."

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20. "We don’t need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation."

21. "From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength."

22. "We are organizers at heart. Most of us in the movement take great pride in being able to put things together."

23. "If you really want to make democracy work, you have to do more than just vote. You have to be willing to work at it."

24. "Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore."

25. "Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?"

26. "In some cases non-violence requires more militancy than violence."

27. "The end of all education should surely be service to others."

28. "There is no law for farm labor organizing, save the law of the jungle."

29. "We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community—and this nation."

30. "I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice."

31. "We must understand that the highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of discipline."

32. "The burdens of generations of poverty and powerlessness lie heavy in the fields of America. If we fail, there are those who will see violence as the shortcut to change."

33. "Kindness and compassion toward all living things is the mark of a civilized society."

34. "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."

35. "Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers."

36. "What is at stake is human dignity. If a man is not accorded respect he cannot respect himself and if he does not respect himself, he cannot demand it."

37. "We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

38. "Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves and be free."

39. "In this world it is possible to achieve great material wealth, to live an opulent life. But a life built upon those things alone leaves a shallow legacy. In the end, we will be judged by other standards."

40. "If you are outraged by conditions, then you have got to do something about it. Otherwise, you are just part of the problem."

41. "We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves."

42. "Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others."

43. "If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him. The people who give you their food give you their heart."

44. "When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick."

45. "There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence."

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