"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it."
by:
Malcolm X
[Malcolm Little] (1925-1965) Civil rights activist, Black Muslim leader
Source:
Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
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Na, Malcolm. You don't "...take it," you LIVE it. There's a difference!
 -- Anonymous     
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    Freedom is your right and you have the right to defend them. Your rights end where the rights of others begin. You don't have the right to take anything. This kind of talk starts riots.
     -- Joe, Rochester, MI     
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    In essence that was what Frederick Douglass said and they are both right. We all have the right to TAKE what is a right. The civil rights movement proved the necessity of having to take it. Otherwise blacks would never have gained that right, but remained under suppression.
     -- Dick Trice, Fort Worth     
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    If people are keeping your rights away from you and not granting you the rights that you were promised, then you have no choice
     -- Shabazz, Winnipeg, MB, Canada     
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     -- Anonymous      
     -- Anonymous, bc      
    And Malcolm X did exactly that. I do believe the statement to be true, particularly for those that are under the thumb of social-political oppression. Malcolm X 'woke up' and 'broke out' of his debilitated mind-set, and disciplined himself out of the criminal lifestyle he had acquired. That is not to say I agree with his message or his organization, but they certainly did reform black communities and instill some self respect among the people. However, as with most religious organizations, there has to be an enemy to rally the people against. Over time, that enemy has simply become 'white people' rather than racism itself, thus becoming another racist organization that keeps the conflict going. I appreciate Malcolm X for the stand that he took -- I do not necessarily agree with his philosophy, and I certainly don't agree with the Nation of Islam's tenets.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    The man is, DIRT IN THE ROAD, as with isis, pagans in the WH. promoting the total overthrow of the USA.
     -- Ronw13, Yachats Or     
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    Ronw13, I like your comment, short and sweet.
     -- jim k, Austin, Tx     
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     -- Allen, DC      
    "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything." Is an absolute accurate analogy and statement. "Taking freedom" is an oxymoron and not a man but, a criminal takes anything when it involves an unwilling third party. I agree with the first Anonymous and Joe, Man was endowed as a faculty of birth with liberty and freedom. To be free, one needs only live within inalienable right (most times that is a struggle and a learning cure, taking courage to forge through the socialism, and otherwise tyrany and desptism).
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Just like the founders and the Minutemen who courageously fought for and took back their individual Unalienable Natural born Rights.
     -- Mary - MI     
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    Success in freedom, equality, justice, or anything will be more accessible or even simply more recognizable with the attitude of earning these qualities. Earn them my friends, earn them.
     -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown     
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