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On December 1, 1955, bus passenger Rosa Parks stood up against Jim Crow laws by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. This act of civil disobedience gave rise to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and began the process that would eventually change the laws. For the rest of her life, Parks was an inspiration to many and took a keen interest in educating children—who wrote her many letters over the years. Some of the letters that she answered were published in Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth, which includes several inspiring quotes about faith, education, and the fateful day that Parks was arrested.
1. “All of my days are good! I am grateful for each day that is given to me.”
2. “I never attended college, although it was one of my greatest desires. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to go to college, vocational school, or technical training school after graduation from high school.”
3. “My own experiences and the changes I have lived to see in this world have taught me that we must do what is right and not harm one another. I am deeply disturbed to see so many young people who are not being taught that every person’s life is meaningful. Life should not be taken for granted.”
4. “Hope is wanting something that means a lot to you. It is like wanting something that you do not have. Hope is something we feel with our hearts. When we hope for something with our hearts, it becomes an expectation.”
5. “There is not one person who knows everything.”
6. “We should not let fear overcome us.”
7. “People have said over the years that the reason I did not give up my seat was because I was tired. I did not think of being physically tired. My feet were not hurting. I was tired in a different way. I was tired of seeing so many men treated as boys and not called by their proper names or titles. I was tired of seeing children and women mistreated and disrespected because of the color of their skin. I was tired of Jim Crow laws, of legally enforced racial segregation.”
8. “God has always given me the strength to say what is right. I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to go home. Getting arrested was one of the worst days in my life. It was not a happy experience.”
9. “You can never learn very much if you do not ask questions. Many times questions are more important than answers.”
10. “There is a world of experiences awaiting us if we take the time to take part in them.”
11. “TV can be harmful if you think it is your only teacher. Your teachers and parents can teach you more in ways a television cannot.”
12. “So often we look to get what we want when we want it. Life does not always work that way.”
13. “Justice and truth do not see color.”
(Source: Parks, Rosa and Reed, Gregory J. (1997). Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth. Lee & Low Books.)
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