“There's really no such thing as the 'voiceless'. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.”
What this quote means
Roy denounces the illusion of the 'voiceless': those not heard are not so by nature, but because they are deliberately silenced or ignored. This quote highlights the power mechanisms that choose who can speak and who must remain silent. It calls for active listening to the marginalized and a questioning of structures that stifle certain voices, inviting us to amplify the voices of the oppressed.
How to apply it daily
Identify a person or group whose voice is ignored in your sphere. Actively share their message or create an opportunity for them to speak.
Continue
Related quotes
Same author or same theme — keep reading.
“Please, sir, I want some more.”Create visual
“The family is the first and fundamental school of social living.”Create visual
“The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”Create visual
“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.”Create visual
“Imagine all the people living life in peace.”Create visual
“There is a greater percentage of the population in prison in the United States than in any other country on earth, including Russia, including China, including Iran.”Create visual