(Excerpt from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech)
“….And then I explained to him how naïve we were, that the world did
know and remained silent.
And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human
beings endure suffering and humiliation.
We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when
human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become
irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race,
religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.”
