Selassie I Quotes & Sayings

I have heard of that idea. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity. — Haile Selassie

Provision must be made for the extension of speedy and effective assistance when any African State is threatened with military aggression. We cannot rely solely on international morality. — Haile Selassie

There is no power or authority without responsibility, and he who accepts the one cannot escape or evade the other. — Haile Selassie

We have before us the examples of the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. We must remember how long these required to achieve their union. When a solid foundation is laid, if the mason is able and his materials good, a strong house can be built. — Haile Selassie

Spiritual power is the eternal guide, in this life and the life after, for man ranks supreme among all creatures. Led forward by spiritual power, man can reach the summit destined for him by the Great Creator. — Haile Selassie

Peace demands the united efforts of us all. Who can foresee what spark might ignite the fuse? — Haile Selassie

Today I stand before the world organization which has succeeded to the mantle discarded by its discredited predecessor. — Haile Selassie

Every labourer is a father, his labour is his child. Choose your project carefully and achieve it worthily — Haile Selassie

Until all Africans stand and speak as free human beings, equal in the eyes of the Almighty; until that day, the African continent shall not know peace. — Haile Selassie

A well informed public opinion is essential to the growth of political and social awareness. Only he who is informed can comment intelligently on his nation's development and only by such comments can errors be corrected and progress stimulated — Haile Selassie

Imagination, devotion, perseverance, together with divine grace, will assure your success. Knowing that material & spiritual progress are essential to man, we must ceaselessly work for the equal attainment of both. It is only when a people strike an even balance between scientific progress & spiritual & moral advancement that it can be said to possess a wholly perfect and complete personality and not a lopsided one. — Haile Selassie

Africa shares with Asia a common background of colonialism, of exploitation, of discrimination, of oppression. At Bandung, African and Asian States dedicated themselves to the liberation of their two continents from foreign domination and affirmed the right of all nations to develop in their own way, free of any external interference. — Haile Selassie

Mahatma Gandhi will always be remembered as long as free men and those who love freedom and justice live. — Haile Selassie

I used to live in Ethiopia as a child, and I lived there when Haile Selassie was the emperor. — Jack Kingston

In the history of the human race, those periods which later appeared as great have been the periods when the men and the women belonging to them had transcended the differences that divided them and had recognized in their membership in the human race a common bond. — Haile Selassie

In the mystic traditions of the different religions we have a remarkable unity of spirit. Whatever religion they may profess, they are spiritual kinsmen. While the different religions in their historic forms bind us to limited groups and militate against the development of loyalty to the world community, the mystics have already stood for the fellowship of humanity in harmony with the spirit of the mystics of ages gone by. — Haile Selassie

Conflicts between nations will continue to arise. The real issue is whether they are to be resolved by force, or by resort to peaceful methods and procedures, administered by impartial institutions. — Haile Selassie

I have lived too long to cherish many illusions about the essential high-mindedness of men when brought into stark confrontation with the issue of control over their security, and their property interests. — Haile Selassie

Misguided people sometimes create misguided ideas. Some of my ancestors were Oromo. How can I colonize myself? — Haile Selassie

The Emperor himself amassed his great riches. The older he grew, the greater became his greed, his pitiable cupidity ... he and his people took millions from the state treasurer and left cemeteries full of people who had died of hunger, cemeteries visible from the windows of the royal palace — Haile Selassie

Do the people of the world not yet realize that by fighting on until the bitter end I am not only performing my sacred duty to my people, but standing guard in the last citadel of collective security? Are they too blind to see that I have my responsibilities to the whole of humanity to face? I must still hold on until my tardy allies appear. And if they never come, then I say prophetically and without bitterness: The West will perish. — Haile Selassie

We have finished the job, what shall we do with the tools? — Haile Selassie

There is always something moving, brewing. There are ambitious people everywhere. Wicked people. The only thing to do is to deal with them with courage and decision. One must beware of uncertainty, weakness or conflicting emotions - they lead to defeat — Haile Selassie

There is nothing as precious to man as a sound mind in a sound body and it is essential that the physical well being of our people merits as much attention as its spiritual welfare — Haile Selassie

Many discouraging hours will arise before the rainbow of accomplished goals will appear on the horizon. — Haile Selassie

If each and everyone endeavours to cooperate and work in as much as his capacity permits, our faith rests upon the Almighty God that he would bless the results for us — Haile Selassie

It is important that spiritual advancement must keep pace with material advancement. When this comes to be realized man's journey toward higher and more lasting values will show more marked progress while the evil in him recedes into the background. Knowing that material and spiritual progress are essen- tial to man, we must ceaselessly work for the equal attainment of both. Only then shall we be able to acquire that absolute inner calm so necessary to our well-being. — Haile Selassie

There is no safer anchorage for our learning, our lives, and our public actions than that provided by Divine teachings ... — Haile Selassie

An awareness of our past is essential to the establishment of our personality and our identity as Africans. — Haile Selassie

Education develops the intellect; and the intellect distinguishes man from other creatures. It is education that enables man to harness nature and utilize her resources for the well-being and improvement of his life — Haile Selassie

Feel the needs of others more than your own. — Haile Selassie

A good leader ... maintains a balance between emotional drive and sound thinking. — Haile Selassie

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

If you are open-minded and ready to learn, there are many things which you can learn not only from books and instructores but form the very life experience itself. — Haile Selassie

Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph. — Haile Selassie

You must always remember that to lead, one must first learn to follow ... — Haile Selassie

We are for aiding our allies by sharing some of our material blessings with those nations which share in our fundamental beliefs, but we are against doling out money government to government, creating bureaucracy, if not socialism, all over the world. We set out to help 19 countries. We are helping 107 We spent $146 billion. With that money, we bought a 2-million-dollar yacht for Haile Selassie. We bought dress suits for Greek undertakers, extra wives for Kenya government officials. We bought a thousand TV sets for a place where they have no electricity. — Ronald Reagan

We must make progress slowly so as to preserve the progress we have already made. — Haile Selassie

It is not only war that can stop war but men of goodwill, conscious of their mission can deal with such deadly enemy ... — Haile Selassie

The fruits of one's sweat and mental labour are always rewarding — Haile Selassie

A man who says "I have learned enough and will learn no further" should be considered as knowing nothing at all. — Haile Selassie

Man cannot live by bread alone. Man after all is composed of intellect and soul. — Haile Selassie

Do not worship me, I am not God. I'm only a man. I worship Jesus Christ. — Haile Selassie

We have decided to bring to an end the most unequal, most unjust, most barbarous war of our age, and have chosen the road to exile in order that our people will not be exterminated and in order to consecrate ourselves wholly and in peace to the preservation of our empire's independence. — Haile Selassie

The United Nations continues to sense as the forum where nations whose interests clash may lay their cases before world opinion. — Haile Selassie

Leadership does not mean domination. The world is always well supplied with people who wish to rule and dominate others — Haile Selassie