Decolonisation Quotes

“Chipko jelas adalah kampusku dalam hal ekologi. Bilamana orangtuaku menyediakan ruang untuk melekatkan dengan budaya hutan dan sikap apresiatif terhadap hutan alam campuran, betapa keanekaragaman hayati merupakan jantung bagi perekonomian berkelanjutan dan bagaimana alam menyediakan kebutuhan dasar bagi mayoritas besar dunia. (p. 10)”
― Vandana Shiva, Terra Viva

“Community development must focus on tangible impacts and results, rather than political interests or favouritism.”
― Dean Foley

“Favouritism doesn’t build communities; actions and genuine impacts do.”
― Dean Foley

“Community development isn’t about looking good; it’s about doing good.”
― Dean Foley

“Forget the politics... good community work is measured by real outcomes, not just talk.”
― Dean Foley

“Wisdom isn’t about knowing everything... it's knowing what matters to your community.”
― Dean Foley

“Sustainability isn't a trend - it's the cornerstone of our ancestors' teachings.”
― Dean Foley

“To move forward, we must respect the wisdom of those who walked before us.”
― Dean Foley

“The measure of success in community development is durability, not headlines.”
― Dean Foley

“Every sustainable decision today honours future generations.”
― Dean Foley

“Impact doesn't require loud voices, just purposeful ones.”
― Dean Foley

“A community's strength grows when we blend traditional wisdom with new ideas.”
― Dean Foley

“Real innovation is accessible - it benefits everyone, not just a privileged few.”
― Dean Foley

“The true test of innovation is whether it nurtures the community’s collective wellbeing.”
― Dean Foley

“Real impact comes from actions measured by lasting change, not temporary applause.”
― Dean Foley

“A strategy is only good if the community sees tangible and sustainable results.”
― Dean Foley

“If your idea benefits people without harming the planet, you're already ahead.”
― Dean Foley

“Results speak louder than promises - community empowerment thrives on evidence.”
― Dean Foley

“Solutions that work are more valuable than brilliant theories.”
― Dean Foley

“We must prioritise effectiveness over elegance in community solutions.”
― Dean Foley

“What matters isn't how innovative an idea is, but how well it sustainably serves the community.”
― Dean Foley

“Effective action is always better than beautiful rhetoric.”
― Dean Foley

“Our communities deserve practical solutions, not just inspiring speeches.”
― Dean Foley

“Actions delivering genuine outcomes sustainably are always better than ambitious inaction.”
― Dean Foley

“Real change happens when we prioritise community wellbeing above economic returns, and honour wisdom over convenience.”
― Dean Foley

“Sustainable transformation is driven by placing community needs above profit-driven motives, and wisdom above easy solutions.”
― Dean Foley

“When I use the term colonizer, I refer only to those who take pride in colonial exploits, and not to those accountable human beings who happen to descend from colonial ancestors. Colonialism is the enemy, it has nothing to do with skin or ancestry. As long as you stand true on ethics of equality and mettle of character, rather than boasting pedigree and archaic tradition, you are a champion of humanity, no matter your ethnicity, ancestry, profession or status.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations

“A dorsal fin sliced up through the water, then dipped back down again. The wild black tip was underscored with a shock of white. Even a quick looked sufficed. Le Requin à pointes noires. Blacktip reef shark.
"Carcharhinus melanopterus."
The girl came closer to the old woman and asked for the name again. Then she repeated it twice.
"So beautiful, that one. My favorite."
If there were an upper limit to how many favorite fish a girl was allowed to have, neither of them knew it. Together, their hands animated all the ways that a reef shark floated through the communities that it lorded over.
Beaulieu caught herself. "What is the Mā'ohi name?"
The girl's face lit up with expertise. "We call that one ma'o ereere, Miss Evie.”
― Richard Powers, Playground

“colonialism only loosens its hold when the knife is at its throat”
― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth

“The Hamas fighters who stormed into Israel on 7 October were largely young people who learned the language of violence from the bombs that Israel dropped on them. This is not a justification of what they did. But we should not be so certain that, had we been subject to the same trauma, with no resolution in sight, we would respond much better.”
― Ilan Pappé, A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict