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" I'm a normal woman, a normal person, and I just want to drive. "

Manal al-Sharif

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" That is life for a Saudi woman: wherever we go, whatever we achieve, we are the property of a man. "

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" In May 2011, I drove a car in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, to protest the kingdom's ban on women driving. "

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" I always say that countries that keep women in the backseat will always end up on the wrong side of history. "

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" For us, driving is not what we are looking for, but being in the driver's seat of our only destiny. That means ending guardianship in Saudi Arabia, which means recognizing women as full citizens. "

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" Women tell me they are different since 21 May - the day I was arrested - it's a positive change, they believe now. "

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" We won't stop until the first Saudi license is issued to a woman. "

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" In the Saudi system, women are considered inferior. No matter our age, we have male guardians. We must get permission from men to attend school, to work, to marry, to travel overseas - even to have basic medical procedures. "

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" My message to the world is to surrender your ego: try not to think that you are not as fortunate as some people or inferior or not as good as someone else. "

Manal al-Sharif

" Everything is possible; we just need to be hopeful and think of the world from a human perspective. The world is so small compared to the universe, so we shouldn't fight for petty things. "

Manal al-Sharif

" The bicycle freed 19th-century women from their homes and from their dependence on men. I hope that in Saudi Arabia, the car will do the same. "

Manal al-Sharif

" All I did was ask for rights. I didn't attack anyone. I didn't harass anyone. I didn't oppose the system or the country or the authority. All I said is, 'Why can't I drive?' "

Manal al-Sharif

" It took me a long, long time to break the chains that's inside me. "

Manal al-Sharif

" When I see something wrong, I speak up. "

Manal al-Sharif

" Women want to drive and they are taking actual steps towards that. "

Manal al-Sharif

" When you see corruption, when you see injustice, you speak up. You don't just shut up and say it's none of my business. "

Manal al-Sharif

" I almost got kidnapped trying to find a taxi in the street. In Saudi Arabia, it's not normal for a woman to walk in the street alone, and I don't cover my face, so I am an open target. "

Manal al-Sharif

" For me, driving - or the right to drive - is not only about moving from A to B; it's a way to emancipate women. It gives them so much liberty. It makes them independent. "

Manal al-Sharif

" Denying women the right to drive has imposed huge costs on Saudi citizens. "

Manal al-Sharif

" I love my sons, I love my husband, and I love my country. But in kingdoms of men, there are few - if any - choices for women. Or the choices are such that there is no greater pain than having to choose. "

Manal al-Sharif

" My mother gave birth to me on the floor of our apartment in Mecca with only my toddler sister to help her because my father was at work and no male guardian was available to take her to a hospital. "

Manal al-Sharif

" The rain begins with a single drop. "

Manal al-Sharif

" When women break that taboo and they're not afraid to drive that car by herself - that's it. Now she has the guts to speak up for herself and take action. "

Manal al-Sharif

" We should not label people who speak up, because it should not be the exception - it should be the norm. When you see something wrong, you speak up. "

Manal al-Sharif

" Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids, even serve as teachers and doctors, but they aren't trusted with their own lives. "

Manal al-Sharif