Quotes: Harry Belafonte

Drawing from multiple musical traditions, Harry Belafonte's lyric baritone and soulful singing connected Americans to global black culture. Singer, actor, producer and activist, Belafonte has used the arts as a mechanism to effect social change on a global scale.

“Each of you has the power, the will and the ability to make a difference in the world we live in. »

“Artists are the keepers of truth. We are the anchor of civilization. We are the compass of humanity's consciousness.« 

« Without the rebellious heart, without the people who understand that there is no sacrifice we can make that is too great to reclaim what we have lost, we will forever be distracted by possessions, trinkets and titles. .« 

« Peace is needed. For justice, it is necessary. For hope, it is necessary, for our future.« 

“Poverty was my mother's midwife. She had her children in poverty. But she also found a way to give us purpose, and she taught us to be valiant in the face of oppression. »

“Although slavery has been abolished, the paralyzing poison of racism still persists and the struggle continues. »

“What makes a movement work is thousands of parties coming together and speaking out for a particular path or goal. You have to find men and women who are willing to play the role that each of these things requires. »

“Our foreign policy has wrecked this planet. I'm still in Africa… And when I go to these places, I see American politics written on the walls of oppression everywhere. »

“I'm not sure exactly when social and political activism became a visible mark in my DNA, but it seems like I was born there. It's hard to be born into the experience of the world of poverty and not develop an instinct to survive and resist those things that oppress you. »

“If I have impacted a heart, a mind, a soul and brought to that individual a truth greater than that which that individual came to seek with me, then I would say that I have succeeded. »

Harry Belafonte