CURATED COLLECTION

What Makes Us Human

We are the only species that wonders what we are — and that wondering might be the most human thing of all.

77 quotes found

“
The great city is that which has the greatest men and women.

—Walt WhitmanPoet & Essayist

Industrial Age ERA • North America

“
The poor exist so that we may feel the guilt of our comfort.

—Elena PoniatowskaJournalist & Novelist

Post-War ERA • Latin America

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The people's voice, when sung with truth, becomes an unstoppable river.

—Amparo OchoaActivist

Post-War ERA • Latin America

“
For what is the life of man, if it be not interwoven with the life of other men by the threads of reciprocal good‑will?

—CiceroStatesman, Lawyer & Philosopher

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

“
Whoever is indifferent to the pain of others is not worthy to be called human.

—Saadi ShiraziPoet & Writer

Medieval ERA • MENA

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Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul.

—Saadi ShiraziPoet & Writer

Medieval ERA • MENA

“
To play cricket is to speak a language that needs no translation.

—Michael AnthonyNovelist & Writer

Late Modern ERA • Caribbean

“
My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.

—Desmond TutuTheologian

Late Modern ERA • Southern Africa

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We are a multiracial society. This is a fundamental fact of our existence.

—Lee Kuan YewScholar & Thinker

Late Modern ERA • Southeast Asia

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Climate change is a global issue, a challenge for all of humanity.

—Ban Ki-moonDiplomat & General

Contemporary ERA • East Asia

“
Let the equality be established: men and women are two parts of one perfect whole.

—Marie de GournayWriter, Editor & Feminist

Renaissance ERA • Western Europe

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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.

—Martin Luther King Jr.Activist & Minister

Post-War ERA • North America

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Revolution is impossible without the love of humanity.

—Alexander HerzenThinker, Writer & Revolutionary

Industrial Age ERA • Eastern Europe

“
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. If you can't help, at least don't hurt.

—Dalai Lama (14th)Spiritual Leader

Digital Age ERA • East Asia

“
The sea that separates us also connects us, a liquid continent.

—Édouard GlissantPhilosopher, Novelist & Poet

Post-War ERA • Caribbean

“
Dialogue cannot exist without humility.

—Paulo FreirePhilosopher

Post-War ERA • Latin America

“
We all die alone, but we live together.

—NonamePoet

Digital Age ERA • North America

“
We write to make sense of the world, to give voice to the voiceless.

—Yvonne VeraNovelist

Late Modern ERA • Southern Africa

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The best of you are those who are best to their women.

—Aisha bint Abi BakrProphet

Medieval ERA • MENA

“
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

—John LennonMusician & Activist

Post-War ERA • Western Europe

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