Ngugi wa Thiong'o Quotes

I was wondering why I was put in prison for working in an African language when I had not been put in prison for working in English. So really, in prison I started thinking more seriously about the relation between language and power.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

• Power
• Language
• Prison
• African

• Previous
• Next

Quotes to Explore

• Neither science, nor the politics in power, nor the mass media, nor business, nor the law nor even the military are in a position to define or control risks rationally.

  

  Ulrich Beck
  • Business
  • Power
  • Science

• The point - the power to hurt - of all figures lies in the truthfulness of their application.

  

  Abraham Lincoln
  • Power
  • Hurt
  • Lies

• I had something I was trying to say and sometimes the message is an easy transmission and sometimes it's a difficult one but I love the power of saying it so I'm gonna do it whether it's hard or easy.

  

  Faith Ringgold
  • Trying
  • Love
  • Power

• I was very insecure approaching the idea of directing a feature film. I told myself I would not move until I felt I was moving in power rather than moving in desperation to make a movie.

  

  Nate Parker
  • Power
  • Movie
  • Myself

• If only I could step back into the time of old movies, if only I could be given the opportunity to do what Katharine Hepburn did or what Rosalind Russell did. Those kinds of characters, that kind of patter, that kind of language, that kind of script. They don't exist any more.

  

  Kari Matchett
  • Time
  • Opportunity
  • Language

• I am lucky that the Western world chooses me to play roles in their movies an television, whatever language it may be.

  

  Irrfan Khan
  • World
  • Play
  • Language

• I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.

  

  Ignatius of Antioch
  • Power
  • Death
  • Earth

• Negative freedom is freedom from - freedom from oppression, whether it's a colonial power or addiction to alcohol oppressing you. You need to be freed from negative freedom. Positive freedom is freedom for, freedom to be. And that's what's routinely ignored today.

  

  Os Guinness
  • Power
  • Today
  • Freedom

• The huge difference in my lifetime is that you can just go up to somebody and make a pass. You couldn't do that in the 1950s if you were gay. There were secret handshakes, a secret language. There was nowhere you could go to be romantic outside of people's houses.

  

  Ian Mckellen
  • People
  • Up
  • Language

• Language that is designed to dehumanize has consequences.

  

  Maajid Nawaz
  • Language
  • Consequences

• We must use all the tools of American power in resolving disputes, including diplomacy. And we must have sufficient congressional debate and oversight before ever putting another U.S. solider in harm's way.

  

  Barbara Lee
  • Power
  • American
  • Tools

• It's not possible for two countries to be the leading dominant political power at the same time.

  

  Fareed Zakaria
  • Time
  • Power
  • Political

• Given the daunting challenges that we face, it's important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.

  

  Valerie Jarrett
  • Important
  • Power
  • Day

• Language is the mother of thought, not its handmaiden.

  

  Karl Kraus
  • Mother
  • Language
  • Thought

• My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads of things that I liked about the movie, which made me opt for it.

  

  Natasha Henstridge
  • Good
  • Power
  • Movie

• The power of the ADA is that it ended up changing my life long before I ever imagined it would.

  

  Tammy Duckworth
  • Life
  • Up
  • Long

• The power of youth is the common wealth for the entire world. The faces of young people are the faces of our past, our present and our future. No segment in the society can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young people.

  

  Kailash Satyarthi
  • People
  • World
  • Power

• There had so lately been a large force of Spanish cavalry at the village, which had made a great impression on the minds of the young men, as to their power, consequence, which my appearance with 20 infantry was by no means calculated to remove.

  

  Zebulon Pike
  • Great
  • Men
  • Power

• Israel, our great friend and the one true democracy in the Middle East has been snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity... President Obama has not been a friend to Israel. He has treated Iran with tender love and care and made it a great power.

  

  Donald Trump
  • Great
  • Power
  • True

• Clearly, 9/11 would have to be some of the best work that I've done because I was working without a template, and that was very difficult. Having nearly been victimized by the north tower, it was difficult to remain composed and be informative.

  

  Ashleigh Banfield
  • Work
  • Done

• Intimidation doesn't last very long.

  

  Lenny Wilkens
  • Long

• Well I was eight years old, and I have an older cousin who is three years older than me and she was doing acting, commercials, and modeling at the time and... to see my cousin doing that was really inspiring and I wanted to do it. So I went to my mom and I asked her if I could do it, and for the acting part of it, she made me study for a year.

  

  Hailee Steinfeld
  • Time
  • She
  • Mom

• I was taunted because I was different.

  

  Canelo Alvarez
  • Different
  • Because

• I was wondering why I was put in prison for working in an African language when I had not been put in prison for working in English. So really, in prison I started thinking more seriously about the relation between language and power.

  

  Ngugi wa Thiong'o
  • Power
  • Language
  • Prison