Steven Biko Quotes

I'm going to be me as I am, and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me, but I'm not going to be what you want me to be.

It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die.

The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.

Being black is not a matter of pigmentation - being black is a reflection of a mental attitude.

The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity.

I would like to remind the black ministry and indeed all black people that God is not in the habit of coming down from heaven to solve people's problems on earth.

Change the way people think and things will never be the same

The wealth of the country must eventually be enjoyed by people of the country

You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway.

So as a prelude whites must be made to realise that they are only human, not superior. Same with Blacks. They must be made to realise that they are also human, not inferior.

A community is easily divide when their perception of the same thing is different

If one is free at heart, no man-made chains can bind one to servitude.

When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being'.

A people without a positive history is like a vehicle without an engine.

The great powers of the world may have done wonders in giving the world an industrial and military look but the great gift still has to come from Africa - giving the world a more human face.

We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!

I am against the fact that a settler minority should impose an entire system of values on an indigenous people.

The blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game that they should be playing. They want to do things for themselves and all by themselves.

Black Consciousness therefore takes cognizance of the deliberateness of God's plan in creating Black people black.

WOMEN must be at the forefront of nation-building to bring the South African citizenry together and, therefore, develop a whole new ethos of human co-existence

If you want to say something radical, you should dress conservative.

The oneness of community for instance is at the heart of our culture.

It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realize that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality.

In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift - a more human face.

The power of a movement lies in the fact that it can indeed change the habits of people. This change is not the result of force but of dedication, of moral persuasion.

Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time.

Black Consciousness is in essence the realization by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression.

This is white man's integration, an integration based on exploitative values

We believe in the inherent goodness of man.

Apartheid - both petty and grand - is obviously evil.

We believe it is the duty of the vanguard political movement which brings change to educate people's outlook

Any warning normally implies, even if it is tacit, that there should be changes

We are experiencing new problems every day and whatever we do adds to the richness of our cultural heritage as long as it has man as its centre

The essence of politics is to direct oneself to the group which wields power

Apartheid - both petty and grand - is obviously evil. Nothing can justify the arrogant assumption that a clique of foreigners has the right to decide on the lives of a majority.

The logic behind white domination is to prepare the black man for the subservient role in this country.

I think the central theme about black society is that it has got elements of a defeated society

In all fields black consciousness seeks to talk to the black man in a language that is his own

In a bid for change, we have to take off our coats, be prepared to lose our comfort and security, our jobs and positions of prestige, and our families... A struggle without casualties is no struggle.

Black Consciousness seeks to infuse the black community with a new-found pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, their religion and their outlook to life.

The revolutionary sees his task as liberation not only of the oppressed but also of the oppressor. Happiness can never truly exist in a state of tension.