Humanitarian Quotes

“To really change the world, we have to help people change the way they see things. Global betterment is a mental process, not one that requires huge sums of money or a high level of authority. Change has to be psychological. So if you want to see real change, stay persistent in educating humanity on how similar we all are than different. Don't only strive to be the change you want to see in the world, but also help all those around you see the world through commonalities of the heart so that they would want to change with you. This is how humanity will evolve to become better. This is how you can change the world. The language of the heart is mankind's main common language.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“The thinking man must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another, even the lowliest creature; but to do so is to renounce our manhood and shoulder a guilt which nothing justifies.”
― Dr. Albert Schweitzer

“Every fish you throw back into the ocean is a triumph of the idea that human beings can be better. I do my best, every day, to throw at least one fish back into the ocean. I hope that you will join me.”
― Olivia Atwater, Half a Soul

“My contention is that good men (not bad men) consistently acting upon that position would act as cruelly and unjustly as the greatest tyrants. They might in some respects act even worse. Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment

“I wish the enemy would hesitate to shoot when they see me, but you can't expect humanitarianism on the battlefield.”
― Carlo Zen, 幼女戦記 (1) Deus lo vult

“Yesterday I was stupid, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am more stupid, so I am changing the world. And tomorrow there will be a hundred more stupid like me, for this stupidity for changing the world can never accept any excuse for inaction, even if that excuse happens to be a most rational reason.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Operation Justice: To Make A Society That Needs No Law

“Everybody wants to put their country on the map, my mission is to put humanity on the map.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Earthlog Sonnet 3001

In a tiny backwater of the milkyway galaxy
there spins a hilarious blue pebble called earth,
which is dominated by a species of monkeys,
whose lives primarily revolve around power,

first it was prophets, then it was kings,
later it was ceo's, and all these top monkeys claim
to seek power in the interest of their people,
they even have an earth-specific name for this
seemingly idealistic sentiment, they call it "humanity,"

but by the time they reach to the top,
they have hardly any trace of humanity left -

whereas the only people who stand as exception
to the traditional ape-hunger for power,
are often ordinary individuals, who care neither
for power nor fame, yet carry out the majority
HUMANly duties on behalf of their entire species.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Naskar Goes to Earth: Field Notes from A Planet of Apes

“I don't write to earn your approval or trust, I write to shortcircuit your jungle customs.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Naskar is not for those seeking a safe narrative, the point of Naskar is to knit your neurons human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Citizenships there are hundreds, nationality there is but one - humanity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Don’t need reason to be kind.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“I hope you have a magnificently beautiful blessed day, living it with absolute dignity and treating yourself as your own biggest fan.”
― J.S. Mason

“Journey of civilization begins with
one person rejecting an outdated tradition,
if there is not a single Naskar in sight,
be the Naskar of your generation.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Naskaradeniz, Sonnet 2412
(The Planet Dervish)

Where your hope ends,
there my stubbornness begins.
Where gods stay cripple,
there my duty begins.

Where law fails order,
there my justice begins.
Where state fails society,
there my civilizing begins.

Where schools fail truth,
there my curiosity begins.
Where science fails empathy,
there my intervention convenes.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sonnets From The Mountaintop

“I'm not interested in who'll carry my bloodline, I'm interested in who'll carry my madness, my madness for tolerance, my madness for oneness - always flawed, but never rigid, always making mistakes, but also correcting themselves, never without blind spots, but no blind spot worshipped as truth - tolerant of harmless make believe, but never of harmful blind belief, activist of humane reason, not elitist logic.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“Almost every scientist rejects pseudoscience most vehemently, yet when it comes to warfare very few seem to have the backbone to denounce it.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“The Naskar Terrain (Sonnet 2962)

If you refuse to call me a scientist,
because I place science at the feet
of the humans, not above their head -

if you refuse to call me a philosopher,
because I count philosophy second to life,
not the center of life -

if you refuse to call me a theologian,
because I place divinity inside the humans,
not outside and above them -

if you refuse to call me a poet because
I refuse to obey white man's fancy full-stomach
rhyme and meter, then be it, my child -

the vast terrains of the himalayas are
carpeted with corpses that failed to make it,
yet the Himalayas stand, indifferent
and undented by the yelp reviews of apes.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Burn My Books, Go Lift The World
(Sonnet 2236)

If they ever make a cult of me,
burn every last book of mine.
Books are just kindling,
mind is the real flame.

Damn the prophet-people divide,
every human is prophet of the planet!
Socially aloof bookworms are no good to me -
I don't want readers, I want revolutionaries.

There is not one, but two societies -
one sophisticated, the other suffering.
The sophisticated don't matter, don't count;
at the feet of the suffering life begins.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper

“Nationality and religion are like blood groups, it has no relation to human capacity and character, despite the superstitions and conspiracy theories; morons are found in every corner of the world, just like mavericks are found in every corner.

The only difference between blood groups and nationality is that, blood groups are a fundamental factor of medical treatment, whereas nationality and religion are fleeting vestiges of an adolescent species.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sonnets From The Mountaintop

“Tall skyscrapers don't constitute civilization, if half the population still sleep on the streets - space exploration doesn't constitute advancement, if half the children never wake up the next day”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Love of religion makes you a believer,
love of humanity makes you holy.
Love of country makes you a citizen,
love of the world makes you human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“Fugitive Peace (The Song)

[Verse 1]
One pen can defeat a thousand guns,
that's why they ban books, not guns.
There's nothing more dangerous than ideas
that inoculate the mind against weapons.

Traitor is not one who questions the state,
but the one who kills without question.
Hoist your heart as a beacon of love -
confront the fear, and war loses oxygen.

[Chorus]
Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
If there is not a Naskar in sight,
be the Naskar of your generation.

Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
Wake up to life, break the trance of arms,
and the planet of apes becomes human!

[Verse 2]
Show me a nation with a titanic army,
I'll show you a society in decay.
Show me a nation that spends on education,
I'll show you tomorrow being built today.

War is the currency of political power -
patriotism is genocide, military is massacre.
Yet there is no stranger, only neighbor;
everyone is family, no one is foreigner.

[Chorus]
Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
If there is not a Naskar in sight,
be the Naskar of your generation.

Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
Wake up to life, break the trance of arms,
and the planet of apes becomes human!

[Verse 3]
A world without borders
is a world without fear,
it's impossible to control people
when we neither hate nor fear.

Every ape has a talent for war,
takes a human to rise in peace.
Wild animals look good only in jungle,
xenophobia is the ultimate brain disease.

[Pre-Chorus]
Beyond fear and fanaticism,
beyond brainless indoctrination,
every culture is my culture,
every nation is my nation.

No borrowed make believe,
no quicksand of cowardice,
superstition fading from bones,
as we rise above the prejudice.

[Final Chorus]
Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
If there is not a Naskar in sight,
be the Naskar of your generation.

Stronger the military, stupider the citizens;
military is the failure of education.
Wake up to life, break the trance of arms,
and the planet of apes becomes human!

[Outro]
One pen can defeat a thousand guns...
One pen can defeat a thousand guns...”
― Abhijit Naskar, Naskar Goes to Earth: Field Notes from A Planet of Apes

“I don't want patriots that hang from flagpoles, and salute with backbone dangling from their derriere, I want patriots who wear their heart on their chest, carry their backbone as battery, and their brain as gear.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“Kindness is my spirituality, welfare is my science,”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“Langar and the Laboratory
(Sonnet 2835-2837)

In this world nothing is straightforward,
so you must never accept anything at face value.
To elaborate this let me bring up my
two fundamental inklings - science and faith,
but when I say faith, I'm talking about a human spirit
beyond your puny heaven-centered christian theology.

Faith oughta be synonymous with service, and
I'm not talking about transactional christian charity,
because christian charity comes with strings attached,
I'm talking about actual selfless, rewardless service.

In that respect, the only religion I can think of
is sikhism - in a neighborhood that has a sikh langar
nobody goes hungry, that too without Nanak being
shoved down the throat as the only way to salvation.

Theologically, Jainism is the religion of nonviolence,
while in practice, Sikhism is the religion of service.
But that's not what I started out to elaborate,
what I wanted to point out is this -

in a neighborhood with a langar and a laboratory,
where do you think, can a hungry person find a warm meal -
not in the laboratory, but at the langar,
so now tell me, which one is more honorable,
science or faith?

But then again, if a new strain of virus suddenly
breaks out, langar or laboratory,
from where do you think,
will come the vaccine?

So you see, nothing is straightforward,
science and faith both have their place,
but if you ask a fish to fly or a bird to swim,
you only end up with a world full of frustrated fish
and frustrated birds, that can neither fly nor swim.

One langar prevents a hundred prisons.
One laboratory prevents a hundred quarantine zones.
One classroom prevents a hundred warzones.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Faith is a service institution,
Science is a welfare institution,
Schools are prejudice-prevention -

till you understand this,
your churches are meaningless,
your labs are pointless,
your schools are meritless.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“Earthlog 3100: I am only the postman
(Metaphor is the message)

I was roaming the stars minding my own business,
with a cheeseburger in one hand and tea cup in another,
suddenly the pompous little cosmos whispered
in its grandiose calm - it's time, you gotta go
to the blue planet its inhabitants call earth -

the others went and returned already,
now it's your turn, letter is in your hands,
you're the postman now.

May I finish my burger first, I sighed!

You'll have plenty where you're going,
earthlings love their food, in fact,
some of them actually consume each other,
in the name of progress, they call it civilizing,
that's why you gotta go -

but be very cautious, of every word you speak,
of how you behave, how you live amongst them,
because every postman unintentionally ends up
erecting a brand new institution.

That's why I've come, not to start a new religion,
I have come to carry the rivers to the sea.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Naskar Goes to Earth: Field Notes from A Planet of Apes

“Sonnet 3150

I saw priests discussing creation,
I saw scientists discussing evolution,
I saw politicians discussing democracy,
I saw entrepreneurs discussing innovation -

and yet children still sleep empty-stomach,
the widow still cries next to a photograph,
the elderly still cannot afford lifesaving medicine!

Apparently, god of earth is rich people's god,
science of earth is rich people's science,
one claims to have moral superiority,
another claims to have logical superiority,
while both failing at basic humanity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human

“I saw priests discussing creation,
I saw scientists discussing evolution,
I saw politicians discussing democracy,
I saw entrepreneurs discussing innovation -

and yet children still sleep empty-stomach,
the widow still cries next to a photograph,
the elderly still cannot afford lifesaving medicine!”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşkoholic: Portrait of A Human