From her unforgettable decision to not give up her seat to a white passenger on that 1955 bus ride, to her fearless leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks constantly demonstrated the power of taking action for what you believe in throughout her life. The following 12 quotes remind us that even though injustice, suffering, and oppression are prevalent, the work we do to fight it will always be a valuable and noteworthy endeavor.

12 Empowering Rosa Parks Quotes About Fighting Injustice and Working Toward Freedom

1. “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.” – Rosa Parks

2. “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” – Rosa Parks

3. “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.”

4. “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – Rosa Parks

5. “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.” – Rosa Parks

6. “Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way.” – Rosa Parks

7. “Differences of race, nationality or religion should not be used to deny any human being citizenship rights or privileges. Life is to be lived to its fullest so that death is just another chapter. Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.” – Rosa Parks

8. “Our freedom is threatened every time one of our young people is killed by another child… every time a person gets stopped and beaten by the police because of the color of their skin.” – Rosa Parks

9. “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” – Rosa Parks

10. “Each person must live their life as a model for others.” – Rosa Parks

11. “We must have courage — determination — to go on with the task of becoming free — not only for ourselves, but for the nation and the world — cooperate with each other. Have faith in God and ourselves.” – Rosa Parks

12. “There were times when it would have been easy to fall apart or to go in the opposite direction, but somehow I felt that if I took one more step, someone would come along to join me.” – Rosa Parks