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"The blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game that they should be playing. They want to do things for themselves and all by themselves."
Letter to SRC Presidents, I Write What I Like, 1978.
"Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time. Its essence is the realisation by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression - the blackness of their skin - and to operate as a group to rid themselves of the shackles that bind them to perpetual servitude."
The Quest for a True Humanity, I Write What I Like, 1978.
"We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our birth. These are concepts which the Black Consciousness approach wishes to eradicate from the black man's mind before our society is driven to chaos by irresponsible people from Coca-cola and hamburger cultural backgrounds."
The Quest for a True Humanity, I Write What I Like, 1978.
"Black man, you are on your own."
Slogan coined by Steve Biko for the South African Student's Organisation, SASO.
"So as a prelude whites must be made to realise that they are only human, not superior. Same with Blacks. They must be made to realise that they are also human, not inferior."
As quoted in the Boston Globe, 25 October 1977.
"You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway."
On Death, I Write What I Like, 1978
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
Speech in Cape Town, 1971
"The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity."
From Steve Biko's evidence given at the SASO/BPC trial, 3 May 1976.
"Being black is not a matter of pigmentation - being black is a reflection of a mental attitude."
The Definition of Black Consciousness, I Write What I Like, 1978.
"It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realise that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality. The first step therefore is to make the black man come to himself; to pump back life into his empty shell; to infuse him with pride and dignity, to remind him of his complicity in the crime of allowing himself to be misused and therefore letting evil reign supreme in the country of his birth."
We Blacks, I Write What I Like, 1978.
"Merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a subservient being."
The Definition of Black Consciousness, I Write What I Like, 1978.
“The greatest weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die”
“Black Consciousness is in essence the realization by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression.”
“I've devoted my life to see equality for blacks, and at the same time, I've denied the needs of my family. Please understand that I take these actions, not out of selfishness or arrogance, but to preserve a South Africa worth living in for blacks and whites.”
“I write what I like”
”• I Write What I Like: Selected Writings
“Amabhulu azizinja”
Tradition has it that whenever a group of people has tasted the lovely fruits of wealth, security and prestige, it begins to find it more comfortable to believe in the obvious lie and accept that it alone is entitled to privilege. - unknown“In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift - a more human face.”