Mary Robinson Quotes & Sayings

Symbols give us our identity, our self image, our way of explaining ourselves to ourselves and to others. Symbols in turn determine the kinds of stories we tell, and the stories we tell determine the kind of history we make and remake. — Mary Robinson

As Elders we have great respect for all religions and traditions as important forces that bind people together. Faith and tradition provide much of the foundation of our laws and social codes. But where religion and tradition are used to justify discrimination and especially when they are used to justify cruel and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, infanticide and child marriage, then we believe that is unacceptable. — Mary Robinson

Today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts. — Mary Robinson

In a society where the rights and potential of women are constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but he will not have freedom. — Mary Robinson

The Snow-drop, Winter's timid child,
Awakes to life, bedew'd with tears. — Mary Robinson

I believe we should try to move away from the vocabulary and attitudes which shape the stereotyping of developed and developing country approaches to human rights issues. We are collective custodians of universal human rights standards, and any sense that we fall into camps of "accuser" and "accused" is absolutely corrosive of our joint purposes. The reality is that no group of countries has any grounds for complacency about its own human rights performance and no group of countries does itself justice by automatically slipping into the "victim" mode.. — Mary Robinson

I was elected by the women of Ireland, who instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system. — Mary Robinson

We now know that climate change is a driver of migration, and is expected to increase the displacement of populations. — Mary Robinson

It is necessary to ensure that the requirement to combat terrorism is not used to clamp down on freedom of expression, legitimate dissent, freedom of association and so on. — Mary Robinson

Tackling the issue of climate change presents us with an inflection point in human history - a climate justice revolution that separates development from fossil fuels, supports people in the most vulnerable situations to adapt, allows all people to take part, and, most importantly, realise their full potential. — Mary Robinson

The fossil-fuel-based development model has not benefitted all people and those who have benefitted least are now suffering great harm in the face of climate change. — Mary Robinson

Young persons, because of their immaturity, may not fully comprehend the consequences of their actions and should therefore benefit from less severe sanctions than adults. More importantly, it reflects the firm belief that young persons are more susceptible to change, and thus have a greater potential for rehabilitation than adults. — Mary Robinson

We must understand the role of human rights as empowering of individuals and communities. By protecting these rights, we can help prevent the many conflicts based on poverty, discrimination and exclusion (social, economic and political) that continue to plague humanity and destroy decades of development efforts. The vicious circle of human rights violations that lead to conflicts-which in turn lead to more violations-must be broken. I believe we can break it only by ensuring respect for all human rights. — Mary Robinson

As Elders, we are fully committed to the principle that all human beings are of equal worth. You will see that we highlight equality for girls and women - not just women's rights. That is important as girls, especially adolescent girls, have been almost invisible in debates on equal rights. Yet it is in adolescence that events can have a huge effect on a girl's life. — Mary Robinson

and then i got too old to be a prostitute. i wasn't going to do it anyways, but it was there. it was my z plan. — Mary Robinson

There's a worldwide linking of environmental activists, developmental experts and human rights advocates. And they're using the two frameworks, in particular environmental standards and human rights. — Mary Robinson

The fifth province is not anywhere here or there, north or south, east or west. It is a place within each of us. It is that place that is open to the other, that swinging door which allows us to venture out and others to venture in. — Mary Robinson

A culture is not an abstract thing. It is a living, evolving process. The aim is to push beyond standard-setting and asserting human rights to make those standards a living reality for people everywhere. — Mary Robinson

The changing climate is a threat to human rights. — Mary Robinson

Climate change is the greatest threat to human rights in the 21st century. — Mary Robinson

Human rights are inscribed in the hearts of people; they were there long before lawmakers drafted their first proclamation. — Mary Robinson

The MDGs have been useful in moving human rights and development discourse together and in highlighting the need for greater accountability at all levels. — Mary Robinson

If we took away barriers to women's leadership, we would solve the climate change problem a lot faster — Mary Robinson

We will not let governments off the hook. We will look to civil society to help us, to pin governments, to what they have committed to here. And we will report on it. — Mary Robinson

The aim of human rights, if I may borrow a term from engineering, is to move beyond the design and drawing-board phase, to move beyond thinking and talking about the foundations stones - to laying those foundation stones, inch by inch, together. — Mary Robinson