Be nice to the whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.
Meaning of the quote
The quote suggests that people of color should be kind and patient with white people, because they have lost touch with their own humanity and need help to find it again. Desmond Tutu, a respected South African leader, believed that by treating white people with compassion, they could be encouraged to recognize and rediscover their shared humanity with people of color. This message encourages empathy and understanding, even in the face of historical injustices.
About Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu was a renowned South African Anglican bishop and theologian who played a crucial role in the anti-apartheid movement. He was the first Black African to hold the positions of Bishop of Johannesburg and Archbishop of Cape Town. Tutu’s work in promoting human rights and reconciliation earned him international recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize.
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More quotes from Desmond Tutu
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If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. 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.
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We would like to see you departing peacefully.
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Those who invest in South Africa should not think they are doing us a favor; they are here for what they get out of our cheap and abundant labor, and they should know that they are buttressing one of the most vicious systems.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
Be nice to the whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
When a pile of cups is tottering on the edge of the table and you warn that they will crash to the ground, in South Africa you are blamed when that happens.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
For goodness sake, will they hear, will white people hear what we are trying to say? Please, all we are asking you to do is to recognize that we are humans, too.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)
We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.
South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931-2021)