Quotes from Ella Baker

Until the killing of black men, black mothers' sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother's sons, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.

One of the things that has to be faced is the process of waiting to change the system, how much we have got to do to find out who we are, where we have come from and where we are going.

I have always thought that what is needed is the development of people who are interested not in being leaders as much as in developing leadership in others.

I've never credited myself with a professional life. But, basically, it has been that.

Give light, and people will find the way...

When I came out of the Depression, I came out of it with a different point of view as to what constituted success. And that was even just even personal success.

Strong people do not need strong leaders.

Until the killing of black men, black mothers' sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother's son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.

You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders.

One of the things that has to be faced is the process of waiting to change the system, how much we have got to do to find out who we are, where we have come from and where we are going.

Strong people don't need strong leaders.

Give light, and people will find the way.

There is also the danger in our culture that because a person is called upon to give public statements and is acclaimed by the establishment, such a person gets to the point of believing that he is the movement.

The major job was getting people to understand that they had something within their power that they could use.

My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders.

I guess the best way to describe that would be to connect with the fact that I came out of college just before the big Depression, and I came to New York.

Strong people don't need strong leaders.

Oppressed people, whatever their level of formal education, have the ability to understand and interpret the world around them, to see the world for what it is, and move to transform it.

Remember, we are not fighting for the freedom of the Negro alone, but for the freedom of the human spirit a larger freedom that encompasses all mankind.

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.