Rosa Parks

Each person must live their life as a model for others.
– Rosa Parks

I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be
also free.
– Rosa Parks

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing
what must be done does away with fear.
– Rosa Parks

I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move.
– Rosa Parks

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and
justice and prosperity for all people.
– Rosa Parks

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.
– Rosa Parks

The advice I would give any young person is, first of all, to rid themselves of prejudice
against other people and to be concerned about what they can do to help others. And of
course, to get a good education, and take advantage of the opportunities that they have. In
fact, there are more opportunities today than when I was young.
– Rosa Parks

Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that
held its ground.
– Rosa Parks

I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night.
– Rosa Parks

As I look back on those days, it’s just like a dream. The only thing that bothered me was that
we waited so long to make this protest and to let it be known wherever we go that all of us
should be free and equal and have all opportunities that others should have.
– Rosa Parks

I set examples by the way I lead my life.
– Rosa Parks

I think it would be a good thing if all people were treated equally and justly and not be
discriminated against because of race or religion or anything that makes them different from
others.
– Rosa Parks

My mother taught me to read even before I began school.
– Rosa Parks

Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet,
and, hopefully, we shall overcome.
– Rosa Parks

I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this
world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.
– Rosa Parks

Have a spiritual awareness, because I feel that with the spirit within and our belief in
ourselves and our faith in God that we will overcome many obstacles that we could not with
negative attitudes. I want to always be concerned with being positive.
– Rosa Parks

I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a
better day.
– Rosa Parks

Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it.
– Rosa Parks

I wanted to be free as everybody else. I didn’t want to be constantly humiliated for
something I had no influence on: the colour of my skin.
– Rosa Parks

I think it’s important to believe in yourself and when you feel like you have the right idea, to
stay with it.
– Rosa Parks

I don’t think well of people who are prejudiced against people because of race. The only way
for prejudiced people to change is for them to decide for themselves that all human beings
should be treated fairly. We can’t force them to think that way.
– Rosa Parks

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I
was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I
was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was 42. No, the
only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
– Rosa Parks

My arrest brought about the protests for more than a year. And in doing so, Dr. Martin Luther
King became prominent because he was the leader of our protests along with many other
people. And I’m very glad that this experience I had then brought about a movement that
triggered across the United States and in other places.
– Rosa Parks