Need a jumping off point to begin the essay-writing process? Discuss the meaning of the quotes below and the significance of the person who said them.

Diversity & Inclusivity

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” Maya Angelou

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” Malcolm Forbes

“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” Mahatma Gandhi

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.” Dalai Lama

“The highest result of education is tolerance,” Helen Keller

“How do we create a harmonious society out of so many kinds of people? The key is tolerance, the one value that is indispensable in creating community.” Barbara Jordan

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver

Speaking Out

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” John F. Kennedy

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill

“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.” Confucius

“In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama

“You have enemies? Good! It means you stood up for something at least once in your life.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“The cruelest lies are often told in silence.” Robert Lewis Stevenson

“Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Elie Wiesel

Or, talk about these insights from past Stop the Hate® participants:

“Becoming informed and developing your own opinion is the only way to move beyond stereotypes,” Ella Attell, Hawken School

“Education, love and acceptance are the first steps to breaking down barriers,” Nupur Goel, Gilmour Academy

“Hatefulness is a weakness,” Athena Grasso, Beachwood Middle School

“We simply cannot afford the merciless ransom that indifference demands.” Apoorva Vallampati, Aurora High School

“I hope to be an upstander for a person who feels isolated and alone because I know what that feels like.” Robert Ballard, Newton D. Baker School of Arts

“One brave comment, no matter how softly it is spoken, can make a change.” Kenton Carrell, St. Barnabas Catholic School

“Silence is for the cowardly.” Elizabeth Lentz, Magnificat High School

“If you let an offender think what they’re doing is okay there’s nothing to stop them from making you their next victim.” Angel Goodluck, Roxboro Middle School

“Stopping hate also means stopping to think how other people feel…” Thomas Schill, Rocky River Middle School

“Just because I was different didn’t mean I couldn’t make a change.” Carly Conrad, Copley Middle School