Quotes from Ruby Bridges

It's time to get past our racial differences. We owe it to our children to help them keep their clean start.

Now that I'm a parent, I know that my parents were incredibly brave.

We keep racism alive. We pass it on to our children. I think that is very sad.

I think racism is something that is passed on and taught to our kids, and that's a shame.

If we're gonna get past our our racial differences, it's gonna come from our kids, but they have to be together to do that.

The people I passed every morning as I walked up the school's steps were full of hate. They were white, but so was my teacher, who couldn't have been more different from them. She was one of the most loving people I had ever known.

That's really what my work is all about - bringing kids together.

I never got the chance to meet Linda Brown; there were several times we were supposed to meet or be on the same stage together, but life gets in the way, and it never happened.

I now know that experience comes to us for a purpose, and if we follow the guidance of the spirit within us, we will probably find that the purpose is a good one.

I remember the first time seeing myself on TV, when my family was watching the documentary 'Eyes on the Prize' for the first time. There were pictures of people going up the school stairs, and Mom said, 'Oh, that's you!' I said, 'I can't believe this. This is important.'

We'd get these boxes of clothing in the mail, and my mom would say, 'What makes you think all this is for you? You've got a sister right behind you.' So then I realized, we're all in this together. We have to help each other.

Evil looks like you and I. I know what evil looks like, and I know that it comes in all shades and colors.

We all have a common enemy, and it is evil.

Throughout my life, my prayers have actively sustained me - held me up, carried me through.

When I think about our babies today and them not being safe in school, I think that should be the next civil rights movement, you know, is to ban the assault weapons so that our babies can be safe.

We must absolutely take care of one another.

We have to take care of each other's children.

It's taken me a long time to own the early part of my life.

My mother and our pastor always said you have to pray for your enemies and people who do you wrong, and that's what I did.

I pray for my enemies, that God would forgive them.

I believe in my prayers.

My mother had taught me that the only thing you could depend on was your faith, and I had that.

I wanted to use my experience to teach kids that racism has no place in hearts and minds.

I had never seen a white teacher before, but Mrs. Henry was the nicest teacher I ever had.