Marcus Garvey Quotes

What you do to-day that is worthwhile, inspires others to act at some future time.

We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind.

We must give up the silly idea of folding our hands and waiting on God to do everything for us. If God had intended for that, then he would not have given us a mind. Whatever you want in life, you must make up your mind to do it for yourself.

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.

There is no force like success, and that is why the individual makes all effort to surround himself throughout life with the evidence of it; as of the individual, so should it be of the nation.

Take advantage of every opportunity; where there is none, make it for yourself.

Look to Africa, for there a king will be crowned.

Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm.

The enemies are not so much from without as from within the race.

Real men laugh at opposition; real men smile when enemies appear.

If you get up everyday and you don’t learn you are
a fool

I regard the Klan, the Anglo-Saxon clubs and White American societies, as far as the Negro is concerned, as better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together.

I know no national boundary where the Negro is concerned. The whole world is my province until Africa is free.

I like honesty and fair play.

Black men, you were once great; you shall be great again. Lose not courage or faith, go forward.

We see a new Ethiopia, a new Africa, stretching her hands of influence throughout the world, teaching man the way of life and peace, The Way to God.

With confidence, you have won before you have started.

We welcome the opposition of the world, because we are determined to see the battle through. Africa’s battle-cry is not yet heard.

There shall be no solution to this race problem until you, yourselves, strike the blow for liberty.

I have no desire to take all black people back to Africa; there are blacks who are no good here and will likewise be no good there.

I trust that you will so live today as to realize that you are masters of your own destiny, masters of your fate; if there is anything you want in this world, it is for you to strike out with confidence and faith in self and reach for it.

God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.

Marcus Garvey does not give a snap for anything human but justice, and that which is based upon righteousness.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

A race that is solely dependent upon another for economic existence sooner or later dies. As we have in the past been living upon the mercies shown by others, and by the chances obtainable, and have suffered there from, so we will in the future suffer if an effort is not made now to adjust our own affairs.

Every man has a right to his own opinion. Every race has a right to its own action; therefore let no man persuade you against your will, let no other race influence you against your own.

Whatsoever things common to man, that man has done, man can do.

Do not remove the kinks from your hair–remove them from your brain.

If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.

The white man has succeeded in subduing the world by forcing everybody to think his way….The white man’s propaganda has made him the master of the world, and all those who have come in contact with it and accepted it have become his slaves.

Intelligence rules the world, ignorance carries the burden.

Glorious shall be the battle when the time comes to fight for our people and our race.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!

Never forget that intelligence rules the world and ignorance carries the burden. Therefore, remove yourself as far as possible from ignorance and seek as far as possible to be intelligent.

Chance has never yet satisfied the hope of a suffering people.

Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.

The thing to do is to get organized; keep separated and you will be exploited, you will be robbed, you will be killed. Get organized and you will compel the world to respect you.

God does not… give people positions or jobs or… good conditions such as they desire; they must do that for themselves.. God does not build cities nor towns nor nations, nor homes, nor factories; men and people do that and all those who want must work for themselves and pray to God to give them strength to do it.

Ethiopia shall once more arise from the ashes of material ruin to the heights of temporal glory.

If the enemy could only know that Marcus Garvey is but a John the Baptist in the wilderness, that a greater and more dangerous Marcus Garvey is yet to appear, the Garvey with whom you will have to reckon for the injustice of the present generation.

Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will.

Always try to associate with people from whom you can learn something. All the knowledge that you want is in the world, and all you have to do is go and seek it.