Marian Wright Edelman Quotes

A collection of quotes by Marian Wright Edelman.

Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist and advocate for children's rights. Born on June 6, 1939, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, she grew up during the era of racial segregation, which deeply influenced her commitment to social justice.

Edelman attended Spelman College and went on to study law at Yale University, becoming the first African-American woman to be admitted to the Mississippi Bar. She used her legal skills to provide legal aid to low-income families and worked on various civil rights cases.

In 1973, Edelman founded the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), a non-profit organization aimed at protecting and advocating for the welfare of children, especially those from low-income backgrounds. Through the CDF, she has tirelessly fought for policies and initiatives to improve the lives of children in areas such as health, education, and juvenile justice.

Edelman has received numerous awards and honors for her advocacy work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, bestowed upon her by President Bill Clinton in 2000.

Throughout her career, Marian Wright Edelman has been an influential figure in the fight for equity and the well-being of children. Her relentless dedication to addressing the systemic challenges faced by disadvantaged youth has made a lasting impact on American society.

In politics, there are no friends.

In politics, there are no friends.

Marian Wright Edelman

I try to act out of faith.

I try to act out of faith.

Marian Wright Edelman

Failure is just another way to learn how to do something rig

Failure is just another way to learn how to do something right.

Marian Wright Edelman

Hope Learning Failure Faith Inspirational

Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your

Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.

Marian Wright Edelman

There should not be one new dime in tax breaks for millionai

There should not be one new dime in tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires as long as millions of children in America are poor, hungry, uneducated and without health coverage.

Marian Wright Edelman

My faith has been the driving thing of my life. I think it i

My faith has been the driving thing of my life. I think it is important that people who are perceived as liberals not be afraid of talking about moral and community values.

Marian Wright Edelman

If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You h

If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.

Marian Wright Edelman

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leavi

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.

Marian Wright Edelman

If we think we have ours and don't owe any time or money or

If we think we have ours and don't owe any time or money or effort to help those left behind, then we are a part of the problem rather than the solution to the fraying social fabric that threatens all Americans.

Marian Wright Edelman

It was very clear to me in 1965, in Mississippi, that, as a

It was very clear to me in 1965, in Mississippi, that, as a lawyer, I could get people into schools, desegregate the schools, but if they were kicked off the plantations - and if they didn't have food, didn't have jobs, didn't have health care, didn't have the means to exercise those civil rights, we were not going to have success.

Marian Wright Edelman

I'm not surfing much anymore, but I love hiking and gardenin

I'm not surfing much anymore, but I love hiking and gardening, and I'm always wearing a hat and sunblock.

I grew up in a very religious family and it is the motivatin

I grew up in a very religious family and it is the motivating force to every thing I do. I am fortunate to have had adults all around me who really lived their faith, in helping other people and doing the best you can do.

Marian Wright Edelman

Parents have become so convinced that educators know what is

Parents have become so convinced that educators know what is best for their children that they forget that they themselves are really the experts.

Marian Wright Edelman

Education is a precondition to survival in America today.

Education is a precondition to survival in America today.

Marian Wright Edelman

I'm sure I am impatient sometimes. I sure do get angry somet

I'm sure I am impatient sometimes. I sure do get angry sometimes. I think it's outrageous how hard it is to get this country to feed its children and to take care of its children, to give them a decent education.

Marian Wright Edelman

We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values

We do not have a money problem in America. We have a values and priorities problem.

Marian Wright Edelman

Together we can and must fight for justice for our children

Together we can and must fight for justice for our children and protect them from draconian tax cuts and budget choices that threaten their survival, education and preparation for the future. If they are not ready for tomorrow, neither is America.

Marian Wright Edelman

Unless children have strong education and strong families an

Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.

Marian Wright Edelman

Remember and help America remember that the fellowship of hu

Remember and help America remember that the fellowship of human beings is more important than the fellowship of race and class and gender in a democratic society.

Marian Wright Edelman

The Declaration of Independence was always our vision of who

The Declaration of Independence was always our vision of who we wanted to be, our ideal of freedom and justice, how we were going to be different, and what the American experiment was going to be about.

Marian Wright Edelman