Commemorating Malcolm X In His Own Words

I am one who believes that Malcolm X, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was the greatest black man of our time. I was old enough to live and witness Brother Malcolm’s life. Today, everybody loves Malcolm, and rightfully so, but while he lived most people, black people included ran from him and his words like he was a blazing fire. I submit that most don’t know Malcolm or understand the sacrifices he made to open the eyes of his people.

I am proud to say, he was my hero and honored to have been enlightened by him. Therefore, the best way I could honor him on the day of his birth is to share some of the words he spoke, and I hope it will touch the souls of some and open your eyes.

A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.

Change Is Only a Good Thing If You Change in a Good Way.

You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being.

You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.

Nonviolence is fine as long as it works.

I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don’t believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn’t want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I’m not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn’t know how to return the treatment.

Speaking like this doesn’t mean that we’re anti-white, but it does mean we’re anti-exploitation, we’re anti-degradation, we’re anti-oppression.

Without education, you’re not going anywhere in this world.

Usually when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it.

I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.

Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.

I believe in a religion that believes in freedom. Anytime I have to accept a religion that won’t let me fight a battle for my people, I say to hell with that religion.

The only way we’ll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world. We are blood brothers to the people of Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba — yes Cuba too.

You show me a capitalist, and I’ll show you a bloodsucker.

It’s just like when you’ve got some coffee that’s too black, which means it’s too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won’t even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep.

In all our deeds, the proper value and respect for time determines success or failure.

My alma mater was books, a good library. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.

If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word freedom out of your vocabulary.

We do not condemn the preachers as an individual but we condemn what they teach. We urge that the preachers teach the truth, to teach our people the one important guiding rule of conduct — unity of purpose.

We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.

When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won’t do to get it, or what he doesn’t believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn’t believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire… or preserve his freedom.

Power never takes a step back except in the face of more power.

Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American.

It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it’s more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, the capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely.

Thank you for your life and wisdom. Maybe Brother Malcolm was right to call those people Devils! And that’s my thought provoking perspective…