Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Get to know the man whose crusades inspired world leaders such as Malcom X, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela.
Dubbed as the “Negro Moises,” Marcus Moziah Garvey, or simply Marcus Garvey, is a favorite subject of scholars and writers alike for his controversial acts of protest demanding equal rights for black people.
The Humble Beginnings
Born on August 17, 1887 in St. Ann’s Bay in Jamaica, Garvey was apprenticed to a printer at the tender age of 14. He eventually left school and moved to Kingston where he got to hone his skills in public speaking, debate, and elocution contests.
In 1910, he moved to Central America in Limon, Costa Rica, where he started his career as a publisher. By 1913 he was able to work with the Sudanese-Egyptian actor and political activist Dusé Mohamed Ali on his journal called The African Times and Orient Review.
His travels in Central and South America had an intense effect on him as he had witnessed firsthand the oppression and degradation of black people. Garvey soon sailed to England in 1912 to take classes in law and philosophy at Birkbeck College.
United Negro Improvement Association
Shortly after returning to Jamaica, he founded the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914. The UNIA aimed to spark the idea of black repatriation to Africa.
According to author and Black studies professor Gaye Theresa Johnson, the organization played an important role in getting people to understand, and have pride, in their race.
Inspired by Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, Garvey wrote him a letter to ask for support in his initiative to open an industrial and agricultural training school. They were scheduled to meet in the United States, but the two never got the chance to meet each other as Washington passed away in 1915.
In 1918, Garvey started publishing Negro World, a publication that scholar Robert A. Hill describes as a “widely disseminated weekly that was soon banned in many parts of Africa and the Caribbean.”
Garvey was described by Lisbeth Gant-Britton, author of Holt African American History, as “extremely outspoken. Some people would say almost bombastic. He wants to take over Africa. He elected himself as President of Africa without consulting the Africans unfortunately.”
The UNIA didn’t gain much following in Jamaica, so he brought it to the United States and established offices in Harlem and other principal ghettos of the North. After four years, he attracted about 2,000,000 association members.
They held their first International Convention in New York City, with a total of 25,000 people in attendance. Biography.com shares, “Marcus Garvey spoke of having pride in African history and culture.
Many found his words inspiring, but not all. Some established black leaders found his separatist philosophy ill-conceived. William Edward Burghardt ‘W. E. B.’ Du Bois, a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People officer, called Garvey, ‘the most dangerous enemy of the Negro race in America.’”
Black Star Line
Fueled by his desire to establish economic independence for African-Americans, Garvey instituted the Negro Factories Corporation and a shipping company he called the Black Star Line, to transport passengers back to Africa. Aside from these, he also managed to set up a few more commercial businesses.
He was arrested in 1922 for mail fraud brought about by his solicitation of funds from investors during the Black Star Line’s launch. His influence during this time declined alarmingly. From a supposed five-year prison term, President Calvin Coolidge reduced his punishment to two, and had him exiled to Jamaica. This hindered him from reviving his movement.
Detractors and death
Garvey’s imprisonment and deportation didn’t faze him. In 1938, he supported the Greater Liberia Act, which was backed by a Klansperson senator, Theodore Bilbo from Mississippi. This earned him enemies, including famous black leader of the American labor movement, Asa Philip Randolph.
Garvey breathed his last at 53 years old on June 10, 1940 in London. His body was later transported to Jamaica where he was hailed as the country’s first-ever national hero and considered a religious prophet by the Rastafari movement.
He is described as a great organizer, but not a businessman. He may have been a flawed leader, but he is considered to be the strongest voice in Black Nationalism.
He is highly recognized in Washington D.C. and Ghana. His bust was displayed in the Organization of American States’ Hall of Heroes, while Ghana reused his title “Black Star Line” for their national shipping line. Their national soccer team is also named Black Stars to pay homage to the great man who showed great love and pride for the black race.
Here are quotes from Marcus Garvey worth remembering:
Marcus Garvey Quotes
- “The ends you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself but the ends you serve that are for all, in common, will take you into eternity.” – Marcus Garvey
- “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
- “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Intelligence rules the world, ignorance carries the burden…” – Marcus Garvey
- “The pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue is mightier than them both put together.” – Marcus Garvey
- “God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement. ” – Marcus Garvey
- “I regard the Klan, the Anglo-Saxon clubs and White American societies, as far as the Negro is concerned, as better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.” – Marcus Garvey
- “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is our only ruler; sovereign.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Great principles, great ideals know no nationality.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “To be once defeated is to find cause for an everlasting struggle to reach the top.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “You at this time can only be destroyed by yourselves, from within and not from without. You have reached the point where the victory is to be won from within and can only be lost from within.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “…we were like crabs in a barrel, that none would allow the other to climb over, but on any such attempt all would continue to pull back into the barrel the one crab that would make the effort to climb out.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “If I die in Atlanta my work shall then only begin, but I shall live, in the physical or spiritual to see the day of Africa’s glory.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “Men, there is much to live for, and there is much to die for. The man, the race of nation that is not prepared to risk life itself for the possession of an ideal, shall lose that ideal. If you, I repeat, must be free, you yourselves must strike the blow.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “Do not remove the kinks from your hair – remove them from your brain.” – Marcus Garvey
- “To have built up a new organization, which was not purely political, among Negroes in America was a wonderful feat, for the Negro politician does not allow any other kind of organization within his race to thrive.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “There is no strength but that which is destructive, because man has lost his virtues, and only respects force, which he himself cannot counteract.” – Marcus Garvey, Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey
- “The Negro will have to build his own industry, art, sciences, literature, and culture before the world will stop to consider him.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “The race needs workers at this time, not plagiarists, sopists and mere imitators; but men and women who are able to create, to originate and improve, and thus make an independent racial contribution to the world and civilization.” – Marcus Garvey, Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
- “Let no voice but your own speak to you from the depths. Let no influence but your own raise you in time of peace and time of war. Hear all, but attend only that which concerns you.” – Marcus Garvey
- “The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” – Marcus Garvey
- “The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Men who are in earnest are not afraid of consequences.” – Marcus Garvey
- “You must not mistake lip-service and noise for bravery and service.” – Marcus Garvey
- “The protection against injustice in man is power – physical, financial and scientific.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Take advantage of every opportunity; where there is none, make it for yourself.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Therefore, remove yourself as far as possible from ignorance and seek as far as possible to be intelligent.” – Marcus Garvey
- “What you do today that is worthwhile, inspires others to act at some future time.” – Marcus Garvey
- “There shall be no solution to this race problem until you, yourselves, strike the blow for liberty.” – Marcus Garvey
- “The whole world is run on bluff.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Be as proud of your race today as our fathers were in the days of yore. We have beautiful history, and we shall create another in the future that will astonish the world.” – Marcus Garvey
- “If the Negro is not careful he will drink in all the poison of modern civilization and die from the effects of it.” – Marcus Garvey
- “When all else fails to organize the people, conditions will.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Lose not courage, lose not faith, go forward.” – Marcus Garvey
- “We must give up the silly idea of folding our hands and waiting on God to do everything for us. If God had intended for that, then he would not have given us a mind. Whatever you want in life, you must make up your mind to do it for yourself.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Always try to associate with people from whom you can learn something. All the knowledge that you want is in the world, and all you have to do is go and seek it.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Ambition is the desire to go forward and improve one’s condition. It is a burning flame that lights up the life of the individual and makes him see himself in another state.” – Marcus Garvey
- “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
- “There is no force like success, and that is why the individual makes all effort to surround himself throughout life with the evidence of it; as of the individual, so should it be of the nation.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Whipped. It annoys me to be defeated; hence to me, to be once defeated is to find cause for an everlasting struggle to reach the top.” – Marcus Garvey
- “God does not give people positions or jobs or good conditions such as they desire; they must do that for themselves. God does not build cities nor towns nor nations, nor homes, nor factories; men and people do that and all those who want must work for themselves and pray to God to give them strength to do it.” – Marcus Garvey
- “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
- “The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Hungry men have no respect for law, authority or human life.” – Marcus Garvey
- “We were the first Fascists, when we had 100,000 disciplined men, and were training children, Mussolini was still an unknown. Mussolini copied our Fascism.” – Marcus Garvey
- “When the facts of history are written Haile Selassie of Abyssinia will go down as a great coward who ran away from his country to save his skin and left the millions of his countrymen to struggle through a terrible war that he brought upon them because of his political ignorance and his racial disloyalty.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Africa for the Africans…at home and abroad!” – Marcus Garvey
- “Our success educationally, industrially and politically is based upon the protection of a nation founded by ourselves. And the nation can be nowhere else but in Africa.” – Marcus Garvey
- “A reading man and woman is a ready man and woman, but a writing man and woman is exact.” – Marcus Garvey
- “I regard the Klan, the Anglo-Saxon clubs and White American societies, as far as the Negro is concerned, as better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Progress is the attraction that moves humanity.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Chance has never yet satisfied the hope of a suffering people.” – Marcus Garvey
- “I like honesty and fair play.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Look to Africa, for there a king will be crowned.” – Marcus Garvey
- “You may call me a Klansman if you will, but, potentially, every white man is a Klansman, as far as the Negro in competition with whites socially, economically and politically is concerned, and there is no use lying.” – Marcus Garvey
- “God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.” – Marcus Garvey
- “There can be no peace among men and nations, so long as the strong continues to oppress the weak, so long as injustice is done to other peoples, just so long we will have cause for war, and make a lasting peace an impossibility.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Every man has a right to his own opinion. Every race has a right to its own action; therefore let no man persuade you against your will, let no other race influence you against your own.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Rise up Black Men, and take your stand. Reach up black men and women and pull all nature’s knowledge to you. Turn ye around and make a conquest of everything North and South, East and West. And then we you have wrought well, you will have merited God’s blessing, you will become God’s chosen people and naturally you’ll become leaders of the world.” – Marcus Garvey
- “The white man has succeeded in subduing the world by forcing everybody to think his way…The white man’s propaganda has made him the master of the world, and all those who have come in contact with it and accepted it have become his slaves.” – Marcus Garvey
- “In a world of wolves one should go armed, and one of the most powerful defensive weapons within the reach of Negroes is the practice of race first in all parts of the world.” – Marcus Garvey
- “This propaganda of disassociating Western Negroes from Africa is not a new one. For many years white propagandists have been printing tons of literature to impress scattered Ethiopia, especially that portion within their civilization, with the idea that Africa is a despised place, inhabited by savages, and cannibals, where no civilized human being should go, especially black civilized human beings. This propaganda is promulgated for the cause that is being realized today. That cause is COLONIAL EXPANSION for the white nations of the world.” – Marcus Garvey
- “All peoples are struggling to blast a way through the industrial monopoly of races and nations, but the Negro as a whole has failed to grasp its true significance and seems to delight in filling only that place created for him by the white man.” – Marcus Garvey
- “She makes one happy, then miserable. You are to her kind, then unkind. Constant yet inconstant. Thus we have WOMAN. No real man can do without her.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Before we can properly help the people, we have to destroy the old education… that teaches them that somebody is keeping them back and that God has forgotten them and that they can’t rise because of their color…we can only build…with faith in ourselves and with self-reliance, believing in our own possibilities, that we can rise to the highest in God’s creation.” – Marcus Garvey
- “I am not opposed to the white race as charged by my enemies. I have no time to hate any one. All my time is devoted to the up-building and development of the Negro Race.” – Marcus Garvey
- “When all else fails to organize the people, conditions will.” – Marcus Garvey
- “I do not speak carelessly or recklessly but with a definite object of helping the people, especially those of my race, to know, to understand, and to realize themselves.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Government is not infallible…The government must be, therefore, an expression of the will of the people.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Go to work! Go to work in the morn of a new creation…until you have…reached the height of self-progress, and from that pinnacle bestow upon the world a civilization of your own.” – Marcus Garvey
- “I read ‘Up from Slavery’ and then my dream – if I may so call it – of being a race leader dawned.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Unite all people of African ancestry of the world to one great body to establish a country and absolute government of their own.” – Marcus Garvey
- “What you do today that is worthwhile, inspires others to act at some future time.” – Marcus Garvey
- “We are not engaged in domestic politics, in church building or in social uplift work, but we are engaged in nation building.” – Marcus Garvey
- “Government is only an executive control, a centralized authority for the purpose of expressing the will of the people; before you have a government you must have the people. Without the people there can be no government.” – Marcus Garvey
- “To be ambitious is to be great in mind and soul. To want that which is worthwhile and strive for it. To go on without looking back, reaching to that which gives satisfaction.” – Marcus Garvey
