Malcolm X Quotes On 53rd Anniversary Of Civil Rights Icon's Assassination

Wednesday marks the 53rd death anniversary of civil rights activist Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little, the influential orator was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, in New York City.

Malcolm X was known for his military approach to address civil rights issues and inequality for blacks in America in the 1950s and the 1960s. He was shot dead by three men from the Nation of Islam while he was delivering a speech at the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.

Here are 15 of his most well-known quotes:

1. "We declare our right on this earth...to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary."

2. "Without education, you're not going anywhere in this world."

3. "Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression."

4. "Early in life I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise."

5. "You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."

6. "Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change."

7. "A new world order is in the making, and it is up to us to prepare ourselves that we may take our rightful place in it."

8. "I believe in human rights for everyone, and none of us is qualified to judge each other and that none of us should therefore have that authority."

9. "I am neither a fanatic nor a dreamer. I am a black man who loves peace, and justice, and loves his people."

10. "People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book."

11. "Anytime you see someone more successful than you are, they are doing something you aren't."

12. "You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

13. "We cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among ourselves. We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves."

14. "It takes heart to be a guerrilla warrior because you’re on your own. In conventional warfare you have tanks and a whole lot of other people with you to back you up — planes over your head and all that kind of stuff. But a guerrilla is on his own. All you have is a rifle, some sneakers and a bowl of rice, and that’s all you need — and a lot of heart."

15. "Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else."