Noble Drew Ali and Marcus Garvey are two of the most notable Black revolutionaries in history. Ali was a religious leader who many proclaimed a prophet. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan credited Ali with bringing Islam to North America. Garvey was a Jamaican immigrant who was an outspoken civil rights activist, journalist and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest proponents of the “Back to Africa” movement, which encouraged Black people to move back to The Motherland to find greater respect, opportunity and success.
Both men taught extensively and have been heavily quoted by their students and followers. Here are 24 quotes that have been attributed to Noble Drew Ali and Marcus Garvey from their pupils and written works.
2. “Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.” – Marcus Garvey
3. “A beggar nation cannot attain to its highest degree of spirituality.” – Noble Drew Ali
4. “A reading man and woman is a ready man and woman, but a writing man and woman is exact.” – Marcus Garvey
5. Study, study, study! And when you have studied well and would ask me what to study next, I would reply; study yourselves! – Noble Drew Ali
6. “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey
7. “If you want to change a people, change their literature.” – Noble Drew Ali
8. “Among some of the organized methods used to control the world is the thing known and called PROPAGANDA. Propaganda has done more to defeat the good intentions of races and nations than even open warfare. Propaganda is a method or medium used by organized peoples to convert others against their will. We of the Negro race are suffering more than any other race in the world from propaganda… propaganda to destroy our hopes, our ambitions and our confidence in self.” – Marcus Garvey
9. “One day, every wheel of industry is going to stop, and when they start up again, it will be in the Asiatics favor.” – Noble Drew Ali
10. “I trust that you will so live today as to realize that you are masters of your own destiny, masters of your fate; if there is anything you want in this world, it is for you to strike out with confidence and faith in self and reach for it.” – Marcus Garvey
11. “One day, women are going to be chasing men like a hound running after a rabbit.” – Noble Drew Ali
12. “If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.” – Marcus Garvey
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13. The European is going to have to pay our people off for the work that they did in slavery, and pay off in compounded interest.” – Noble Drew Ali
14. “The UNIA teaches our race self-help and self-reliance… in all those things that contribute to human happiness and well-being.” – Marcus Garvey
15. “Be careful Moors, some of your own will put you back into slavery.” – Noble Drew Ali
16. “I have no desire to take all Black people back to Africa; there are Blacks who are no good here and will likewise be no good there.” – Marcus Garvey
17. “The only devil from which men must be redeemed is self, the lower seld, if man would find his devil, he must look within. His name is self. If man would find his savior, he must look within; and when the demon self has been dethroned to the savior, love will be exalted the the throne of power.” – Noble Drew Ali
18. “Life is that existence that is given to man to live for a purpose, to live is own satisfaction and pleasure, providing he forgets not the God who created him and who expects a spiritual obedience and observation of the moral laws that He inspired.” – Marcus Garvey
19. “If I were you, I would get ready before you are made to do so.” – Noble Drew Ali
20. “If you haven’t confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.” – Marcus Garvey
21. “Children, your hair is not kinky. It is woolly like your Brother Jesus.” – Noble Drew Ali, according to Sister Gaddy-Bey of Tempe 4 and 25
22. “The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness.” – Marcus Garvey
23. “The Moors once ruled the world; now get ready to rule it again. But this time it’s going to be done under Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom and Justice.” – Noble Drew Ali
24. “We have a beautiful history, and we will create another in the future, which will astonish the world.” – Marcus Garvey