10 famous quotes from Desmond Tutu

Ayo Akinfe 

[1] If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. For instance, if an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality

[2] My father always used to say Don't raise your voice. Improve your argument. Good sense does not always lie with the loudest shouters, nor can we say that a large, unruly crowd is always the best arbiter of what is right

[3] We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low

[4] Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity

[5] When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, Let us pray. We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land

[6] When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognising the humanity in others

[7] It is through weakness and vulnerability that most of us learn empathy and compassion and discover our soul

[8] A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished when others are tortured or oppressed, or treated as if they were less than who they are

[9] The Dead Sea in the Middle East receives freshwater but it has no outlet, so it doesn't pass the water out. It receives beautiful water from the rivers and the water goes dank. I mean, it just goes bad. And that's why it is the Dead Sea. It receives and does not give. In the end, generosity is the best way of becoming more, more, and more joyful

[10] Enemies are always friends waiting to be made