Julius Nyerere

Father of Tanzania

Modern influential 131 sayings

Sayings by Julius Nyerere

The greatest resource of Africa is not its minerals, but its people.

c. 1970s — Speech, c. 1970s
Controversial Unverifiable

We must reject the mentality of beggars.

c. 1970s — Speech, c. 1970s
Controversial Unverifiable

The struggle for human dignity is universal.

1975 — Speech at the UN General Assembly
Controversial Unverifiable

We must build a society where everyone has a place and a purpose.

1968 — Book: Ujamaa: Essays on Socialism
Controversial Unverifiable

The path to socialism is not an easy one, but it is the only path to true liberation.

c. 1960s — Speech, c. 1960s
Controversial Unverifiable

The African people are capable of great things.

c. 1960s — Speech, c. 1960s
Controversial Unverifiable

We must resist all forms of exploitation.

c. 1960s — Speech, c. 1960s
Controversial Unverifiable

Our revolution is a revolution of the people, by the people, for the people.

c. 1960s — Speech, echoing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Controversial Unverifiable

The struggle for freedom is a struggle for justice.

Unknown — Attributed
Controversial Unverifiable

We must never give up hope.

c. 1980s — Speech, c. 1980s
Controversial Unverifiable

The future is in our hands.

c. 1960s — Speech, c. 1960s
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't trust a man who wears a tie; it's like he's hiding something!

Approx. 1970s — A humorous personal observation, reflecting his down-to-earth persona and aversion to formal attire.
Humorous Unverifiable

Frankly I find this anxiety about the health of Tanzania sometimes funny, sometimes irritating, and always odd.

Approx. 1960s-1970s (from 'Freedom and Socialism: 51') — Expressing his perspective on external concerns and anxieties regarding Tanzania's development and w…
Humorous Unverifiable

I have read and re-read the Arusha Declaration and found nothing wrong with it except perhaps replacing a few commas here and there... it was clear for some of us that it would only be a mad man who would stand up and defend the Arusha Declaration.

Approx. 1970s-1990s (The 'mad man' part is cited generally; later reflections in 1994 also exist). — Reflecting on his own Arusha Declaration, acknowledging its challenges while reaffirming its princip…
Humorous Unverifiable

The African is not 'Communistic' in his thinking; he is -- if I may coin an expression - 'communitary'.

1960 — Explaining the indigenous African communal values as distinct from European communism, coining a new…
Humorous Unverifiable

We, in Africa, have no more need of being 'converted' to socialism than we have of being 'taught' democracy. Both are rooted in our past -- in the traditional society which produced us.

1967 — Asserting the indigenous roots of socialism and democracy in African traditions, rejecting external …
Humorous Unverifiable

Unless I can meet at least some of these aspirations, my support will wane and my head will roll just as surely as the tickbird follows the rhino.

Approx. 1960s-1970s — Speaking about the high expectations of independence and the political realities faced by leaders.
Humorous Unverifiable

You're not successful until your successor succeeds.

Approx. 1980s-1990s — A witty and profound statement on the true measure of a leader's legacy.
Humorous Unverifiable

I was a schoolmaster by choice and a politician by accident.

1960 — Reflecting on his career path, emphasizing his initial vocation as a teacher and his reluctant entry…
Humorous Unverifiable

It is one of those funny things in history that a state, a state represents nothing, you know, it's sometimes an accident of history. But once it is there, it has more power sometimes than religion, than philosophy, than all sorts of things...

1966 — Speaking about the arbitrary nature and powerful influence of states, particularly in the context of…
Humorous Unverifiable