Norman Thomas

“The first step in the direction of a world rule of law is the recognition that peace is not the mere absence of war, but a positive and constructive work.”

“The case for socialism is not that it will create a paradise, but that it will create a better society.”

“We cannot have peace if we are concerned only with the preservation of the status quo.”

“It is a pathetic and beautiful thing to see a people, who have been treated with such cruelty, still have so much hope.”

“What is needed is a cooperative commonwealth in which the motive of service replaces the motive of profit.”

“I am not a champion of lost causes, but of causes not yet won.”

“The test of a democracy is its tolerance of dissent.”

“We have to get rid of the idea that we can't do anything.”

“The choice today is not between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.”

“A man's indebtedness is not a virtue; his repayment is.”

“The truth is that we have a society that is rich in things and poor in spirit.”

“War is a contagion.”

“The struggle for civil liberties is a struggle for all of us.”

“If you want a symbolic gesture, don't burn the flag; wash it.”