Wangari Maathai

"You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you organize them."

"In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground."

"Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking and listening to people who are talking."

"It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference."

"When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope."

"You stand before us as a woman who has worked selflessly for the protection of nature, the environment, and the beauty of your land."

"I have learned that you cannot live through days without hope."

"In my view, the greatest wealth is health."

"You cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that values itself, that understands itself."

"It's not just what you achieve, but how you achieve it that matters."

"Even when we don't have power, we all have choices."

"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims."

"Those of us who have been privileged to receive education should be models for the rest of the society."

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children."

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."

"Democracy requires informed citizenry."

"As we celebrate the successes we have had, we must also recognize the challenges we have ahead."

"I am always convinced that the effort to understand the universe is among the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy."

"In the course of my life, I had come to understand that I could not fight in the way I had been designed to fight."

"We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk."

"Let us all be brave enough to die the death of a martyr but let us be brave enough too to live the life of a martyr."

"Poverty is another form of violence."

"Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system."

"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give."

"I have been fortunate to be able to take my commitment to social and environmental justice around the world."

"When we save the forests, we save the future."

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."

"Passion is a great motivator."

"You raise the consciousness of the public through activism and education."

"I am moved by the power of the human spirit to overcome great challenges and transform them into opportunities."