“Do not get lost in a sea of despair”: His best quotes.
Civil rights icon Rep. John R. Lewis, who devoted his life to racial justice and equality, died Friday night at 80. He revealed late last year that he was undergoing treatment for Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, had served in the House of Representatives since 1987, following decades of work as an organizer and activist – serving as a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, organizing the March on Washington in lockstep with Martin Luther King Jr. and serving in the Atlanta City Council. He was an orator unlike many others, his words galvanizing action for multiple generations. To honor his legacy, here are some of his most powerful quotes.
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”
“My dear friends: Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.”
“When he was killed I really felt I’d lost a part of myself.”
— A tweet from June 2018
— At the 1963 March on Washington
— A 2012 speech in Charlotte, North Carolina
— On Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, from his 1998 memoir “Walking with the Wind”
“Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
— From his 2017 memoir, “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”
“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant.”
— From his 2017 memoir, “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”