Quotes from Leymah Gbowee

If you read the life of great men and women who made important changes in history, there are two common features: One, they were angry at the state of affairs and, two, they were people of faith.

You can tell people of the need to struggle, but when the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing can quench the fire.

There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute.

I always tell people, anger is like liquid. It's fluid, it's like water. You put it in a container and it takes the shape of that container. So many people you see in prison, unleashing war on their people, they are angry, and they take their anger and put it into a violent container.

If any changes were to be made in society it had to be by the mothers.

'I wish for a better life. I wish for food for my children. I wish that sexual abuse and exploitation in schools would stop.' This is the dream of the African girl.

I'm now on a journey to fulfill the wish, in my tiny capacity, of little African girls.

The one thing I have never been afraid of is standing before important people and speaking my mind. I represent women who may never have the opportunity to go to the UN or meet with a president. I'm never afraid to speak truth to power.

It's time for women to stop being politely angry.

At 17, the first time I saw a dead body, I froze. By 31 it was a natural occurrence for me, and no group of people should live like that.

If you are serving justice to one person, those who have been affected should also be served some form of justice.

Regardless of whom you pray to, during war our experiences as a community and as mothers are the same.

We must continue to unite in sisterhood to turn our tears into triumph. There is no time to rest until our world achieves wholeness and balance, where all men and women are considered equal and free.

When women gather, great things will happen.

Activism is something that no one can fake. You get angry. You cry. But you never throw in your towel, because that anger is what is propelling you to further action.

Women are the ones that bear the greatest burden. We are also the ones who nurture societies.

Leadership is standing with your people. People say you have to live to fight another day, but sometimes you have to show you are a true leader.

I'm a serious optimist. I come from a country where you have little to be hopeful for, and so you have to always be an optimist.

I have come to one conclusion: All that I am, all that I aspire to be, all that I was before, is by the grace of God. There are so many women in Africa, and outside Africa, who are more intelligent than I am.

'I wish for a better life. I wish for food for my children. I wish that sexual abuse and exploitation in schools would stop.' This is the dream of the African girl.

We go into rural communities, and all we do — like has been done in this room [at TED] — is create the space. When these girls sit … you unlock great leaders.

You cannot say you've achieved equality until EVERYONE is equal and has equal opportunities!

We have lived through fear all our lives, and when you have gone through a whole lot of fear, sometimes all you can do is resist the fear, and resistance comes in the form of courage.