In Honor of Malcolm X’s 100th Birthday, Here are His Most Fearless, Inspiring Sayings

The civil rights icon may have been born a century ago, but his words will live on forever. Let's took a look back at his most impactful ones!

Malcolm X (1925 - 1965) as he holds an 8mm movie camera in London Airport, London, England, July 9, 1964. Photo: Getty Images Express Newspapers

When it comes to iconic voices in Black history, few resonate louderโ€”or hit harderโ€”than Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, the civil rights legend wouldโ€™ve turned 100 this year, but his words remain as sharp, fearless, and relevant as ever.

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Whether he was schooling folks on the power of education, warning us about the mediaโ€™s manipulation tactics, or making it plain that freedom ainโ€™t really free, the highly respected yet sometimes โ€œcontroversialโ€ leader always knew how to deliver a message that stuck.

So in honor of his centennial birthday, weโ€™re highlighting some of his most unforgettable quotes from all those years ago in the hopes that weโ€™ll never forget how much Malcolm was truly a voice for the ages. Keep reading to get into these gems that continue to inspire, agitate, and motivate!

Malcolm X, 1965

Photo: Getty Images Lloyd Yearwood/Three Lions Photo: Getty Images Lloyd Yearwood/Three Lions

โ€œIโ€™m for truth, no matter who tells it. Iโ€™m for justice, no matter who it is for or against.โ€- Malcolm X, 1965

Malcolm X, 1964

Photo: Getty Images Express Photo: Getty Images Express

โ€œA man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.โ€- Malcolm X, 1964

Malcolm X, 1964

Photo: Getty Images Keystone/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images Keystone/Hulton Archive

โ€œWe declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being... by any means necessaryโ€- Malcolm X, the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in June 1964

Malcolm X, 1962

Photo: Getty Images Keystone Photo: Getty Images Keystone

โ€œThere is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.โ€- Malcolm X, 1962

Malcolm X, 1963

Photo: Getty Images Evening Standard/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images Evening Standard/Hulton Archive

โ€œIf youโ€™re not ready to die for it, put the word โ€˜freedomโ€™ out of your vocabularyโ€- Malcolm X, 1963

Malcolm X, 1964

Photo: Getty Images Terry Disney/Daily Express/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images Terry Disney/Daily Express/Hulton Archive

โ€œWe are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.โ€- Malcolm X, 1964

Malcolm X, 1965

Photo: Getty Images Three Lions/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images Three Lions/Hulton Archive

โ€œI, for one, believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, theyโ€™ll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.โ€- Malcolm X, 1965

Malcolm X on Education

โ€œWithout education, youโ€™re not going anywhere in this worldโ€- Malcolm X

Malcolm X on Fighting for Freedom

โ€œYou donโ€™t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human beingโ€- Malcolm X

Malcolm X, 1964

โ€œI believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I donโ€™t believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesnโ€™t want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but Iโ€™m not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesnโ€™t know how to return the treatment.โ€- Malcolm X, 1964

Malcolm X, 1963

โ€œIf violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.โ€- Malcolm X, 1963

Malcolm X, 1965

Photo: Getty Images Keystone/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images Keystone/Hulton Archive

โ€œYou canโ€™t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.โ€- Malcolm X, 1965

Malcolm X on Race

Photo: Getty Images o by Three Lions/Hulton Archive Photo: Getty Images o by Three Lions/Hulton Archive

โ€œA race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself.โ€- Malcolm X, 1965

Malcolm X, 1965

Photo: Getty Images Evening Standard Photo: Getty Images Evening Standard

โ€œIt is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. Thatโ€™s the only thing that can save this country.โ€- Malcolm X, 1965

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