Malcolm X
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"MalcolmX", born "Malcolm Little" and also known as "El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz" }} (), was an African-American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.

MalcolmX was effectively orphaned early in life. His father was killed when he was six and his mother was placed in a mental hospital when he was thirteen, after which he lived in a series of foster homes.

In 1946, at age 20, he went to prison for larceny and breaking and entering. While in prison he became a member of the Nation of Islam, and after his parole in 1952 quickly rose to become one of its leaders. For a dozen years he was the public face of the controversial group; in keeping with the Nation's teachings he espoused black supremacy, advocated the Black separatism/separation of black and white Americans and scoffed at the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)/civil rights movement's emphasis on Racial integration/integration.

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Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.

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The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

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Power never takes a back step - only in the face of more power.

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Power in defense of freedom is greater than power on behalf of tyranny and oppression.

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We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.

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Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else.

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Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.

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You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.

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You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.

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Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American.

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I don't even call it violence when it's in self defense; I call it intelligence.

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Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.

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The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.

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You can always chase a dream but it will not count if you never catch it.

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I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.

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You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.

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If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.

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