Book Quotes To Inspire & Empower Your Protesting

I've witnessed and participated in many protests throughout my city, and I've come to learn how important it is to remain peaceful, to remain an ally, to spread the message— even, especially, after the issue fades from media attention. The point of a protest is to wake the world up, to prove there are thousands and millions of people who support an issue, and to remind lawmakers and people in positions of power that people are truly suffering. On Saturday, thousands of people will participate in the Women's March on Washington (and other Women's Marches across the country) to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump and to send a bold message to his administration that women's rights are human rights.

Before you head out to protest this weekend and over the next several years, take a look at these nine quotes about protesting. Keep them in mind if you have — or are thinking of —participating in a protest soon, and be sure to check out Bustle's recommendations for action-oriented newsletters to join in 2017.

1. “There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

― Anne Frank, Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex

3. “It is simply my way of saying that I would rather be a man of conviction than a man of conformity. Occasionally in life one develops a conviction so precious and meaningful that he will stand on it till the end. That is what I have found in nonviolence.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. “[Or perhaps my friends should have realized that they shouldn't have left behind the FRICKING REASON FOR THEIR PROTEST! And that thought just cracked me up.]

It was like my friends had walked over the backs of baby seals in order to get to the beach where they could protest against the slaughter of baby seals.”

― Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

5. “We can all get more together than we can apart. And this is the way we gain power. Power is the ability to achieve purpose, power is the ability to effect change, and we need power.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. “A single whisper can be quite a disturbance when the rest of the audience is silent.”

― Anthony Marra, The Tsar of Love and Techno

7. “One of the greatest problems of history is that the concepts of love and power are usually contrasted as polar opposites. Love is identified with a resignation of power and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

8. “The first principal of non-violent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.”

― Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi On Non-Violence

9. “I cannot make myself believe that God wanted me to hate. I'm tired of violence, I've seen too much of it. I've seen such hate on the faces of too many sheriffs in the South. And I'm not going to let my oppressor dictate to me what method I must use. Our oppressors have used violence. Our oppressors have used hatred. Our oppressors have used rifles and guns. I'm not going to stoop down to their level. I want to rise to a higher level. We have a power that can't be found in Molotov cocktails.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.