Robert Owen

"I believe that every man has dormant talents waiting to be awakened."

"The manufacture of opinion is as important as the manufacture of goods."

"I have not sought glory; I have sought only the improvement of human condition."

"The roots of social evil must be pulled up, not merely trimmed."

"Rational instruction must precede rational conduct."

"I contend that man is born with a capacity for happiness."

"Society must be reconstructed from its very foundations."

"The condition of the poor is the true measure of a civilization's character."

"I have attempted to prove by example what philosophy suggests by theory."

"Human beings are creatures of habit and circumstance, not of fixed nature."

"The advancement of true knowledge must always result in the advancement of happiness."

"I believe in the inherent goodness of man when properly educated."

"To improve society, you must improve the individual; to improve the individual, you must improve society."

"The poor do not lack virtue; they lack opportunity."

"Every child has the right to education as fundamental as air and water."

"I have seen how small the step is from poverty to prosperity when conditions change."

"The principles of justice demand that labor be honored above capital."

"In my manufactories, I have proven that workers thrive when treated with respect."

"The formation of character is more important than the accumulation of wealth."

"I refuse to believe that human nature is fundamentally selfish."

"Society rests upon a foundation of delusion; it must be rebuilt on truth."

"The strength of a nation is measured by the well-being of its working people."

"I have dedicated my fortune to the liberation of the human mind."

"Cooperation, not competition, is the natural state of humanity."

"The manufacture of rational men and women is the true manufacture of wealth."

"I see in every child the potential for a complete transformation of society."

"The greatest obstacle to progress is the human attachment to false ideas."

"I have worked not for myself but for the future generations."

"The poor are the majority; their enlightenment is the key to universal progress."

"True freedom means freedom from ignorance and want."