Paulo Freire (1921 – 1997)
Brazilian educator and theorist of critical pedagogy.
"To simply think about the people, as the dominators do, without any self-giving in that thought, to fail to think with the people, is a sure way to cease being revolutionary leaders.
"The culture of the dominant class hinders the affirmation of men as beings of decision."
"Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of men and women upon their world in order to transform it."
"In order for the oppressed to unite they must first cut the umbilical cord of magic and myth which binds them to the world of oppression; the unity which links them to each other must be of a different nature."
"Dialogue cannot exist without humility."
"I intrepret the revolutionary process as dialogical cultural action which is prolonged in 'cultural revolution' once power is taken. In both stages a serious and profound effort at conscientizaç?o--by means of which the people, through a true praxis, leave behind the status of objects to assume the status of historical Subjects--is necessary."
"Scientific and humanist revolutionary leaders, on the other hand, cannot believe in the myth of the ignorance of the people."
"They call themselves ignorant and say the 'professor' is the one who has knowledge and to whom they should listen."
"The road to revolution involves openness to the people, not imperviousness to them; it involves communion with the people, not mistrust."
"The participants begin to realize that if their analysis of the situation goes any deeper they will either have to divest themselves of their myths, or reaffirm them. Divesting themselves of and renouncing their myths represents, at that moment, an act of self-violence. On the other hand, to reaffirm those myths is to reveal themselves."
"Implicit in the banking concept is the assumption of a dichotomy between human beings and the world: a person is merely in the world, not with the world or with others; the individual is spectator, not re-creator."
"It is not possible to remake this country, to democratize it, humanize it, make it serious, as long as we have teenagers killing people for play and offending life, destroying the dream, and making love unviable. If education alone cannot transform society, without it society cannot change either."