Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" I am not a refugee. I sought refuge for many years, but the word 'refugee' does not define me. It just limits me and puts me in a box. "

Clemantine Wamariya

Related Quotes:

" Words will never be enough to quantify and qualify the many magnitudes of human-caused destruction. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" My formal speaking career began before a group of 10 third-graders. We drew pictures of my home in Rwanda. I told them about my mother's huge garden and our mango tree. The lessons I taught were simple. Play nicely. Take care of plants. Take care of people. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" The benefits of Umuganda are not merely economic. The day is intended to build community involvement and strengthen cohesion between persons of different background and levels. One such a benefit is that people can access authorities to articulate their needs and voice opinions on various issues. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Make your education personal. When it matters to you, you will show up. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I want people to know that they are the masters, the queens, kings, and gods of their own story. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" My Chicago is beautiful and diverse. It was able to give me all parts of the world all in one. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" We cannot afford to lose any more people as a result of hatred. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" The world is part of us, and we are part of the world. Even through the smallest acts, we can demonstrate that. I believe in the human spirit, in the kindness in all of us, and I am hopeful for this world. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" You have this one life. If you keep being selfish and unkind, it's going to come back to you. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" It has taken me so many years to finally be in my bed and fall asleep for six hours. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I was six years old when the conflict started in Rwanda. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I think, when you survive any intense experience, people try to moralize you; a lot of people just try to raise you high, and it's so not fair to you and to everybody else. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I go around the country sharing my story. I aim to dare other people to go deep into their own stories and hope to inspire them to think about their own world and experiences. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Growing up in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, I had a wonderful life, one that I have not experienced anywhere since, even after living in nine countries. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Forgiveness allowed me to wash my burdened past away. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" As a child growing up in refugee camps, life taught me that many things were impossible. My older sister, Claire, taught me otherwise when her strength and resilience made the impossible possible in the way she worked, behaved, and took control of our lives. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Safety should be a birthright. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Labels and classifications of any type are not law, nor are they written in stone. It's up to us to be aware of this and confront it and break through it by doing things that shock and surprise people because they thought we could never achieve at that level. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I'm open to everything. Take me anywhere, show me everything. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" When you're in survival mode, you numb yourself. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" It occurred to me that memorials shouldn't be grand. If you really want to honor the memory of a tragedy, you shouldn't create areas of calm reflection. You should make people uncomfortable. Put them in the shoes of those who perpetrated and those who suffered. Then ask, would they be able to forgive in these situations? "

Clemantine Wamariya

" We need to examine hatred on a global perspective because hatred is everywhere, and it does not matter who you are: you can be a victim of it anywhere and anytime. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" My experiences have shown me that when an opportunity bigger than you comes along and you feel unprepared and doubtful, it is important to permit those emotions and let that energy drive you and inspire you to move forward. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I want to listen to people's stories and find strength in them. There is so much human-caused pain and suffering in the world. I want to honor all those difficult experiences and acknowledge their aftermath. At the same time, I want to really see and love the world around me. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I'm not a victim - I'm a survivor of hunger, of hate, of different injustices that humans are facing today. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" There are millions of people, refugees, who have experienced the same conflicts and struggles I did. They have the same potential to defy the odds and achieve great things. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I was the most tired 11-year-old in the world. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I want to tap into everyone's senses, to touch on our human sensibility. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" Set goals but be flexible. "

Clemantine Wamariya

" I hate light... I feel like at night, it's safer. If anything happens, there's a way to hide at night. Another thing I hate about light is it reminds me about being in a refugee camp and being outside. "

Clemantine Wamariya