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About this quote

What does it mean?
Oppressed people rely on others to voice their suffering and connect them to the world.
In plain terms
Victims need speakers to share their silence and stay connected.
What can you take from it?
Speak for those who cannot.

Where it applies

  • activism
  • human rights
  • journalism

Putting it to work

  • advocating for the oppressed
  • amplifying voices

Questions to consider

  • Who speaks for the silenced?
  • How to avoid appropriation?

Another view

It assumes outsiders can accurately represent their pain.

More from Albert Camus

  1. The man whose blood, and extravagances, and frail heart lead him to the commonest weaknesses must rely on something in order to get to the point of respecting …

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  2. The most painful thing to bear is seeing a mockery made of what one loves.

    Permalink to quote #206
  3. The majority of revolutions are shaped by, and derive their originality from, murder.

    Permalink to quote #203

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