Shabazz Quotes & Sayings

I wanted to go amongst gangbangers, to understand this war they were fighting amongst each other. I wanted to document it, [also] to show the human side of it. — Jamel Shabazz

Two young doctors - one from Harvard and the other from Dartmouth - invited me to go to Mecca in my husband's stead. And that is what helped put me back on track. — Betty Shabazz

For the most part, as a society, we are not happy with ourselves. — Jamel Shabazz

There is just something about the common being. My education pretty much came from the streets, just connecting with people, different cultures. I gained the wealth just engaging at that level. I'm still like that. I continue to document everyday people versus the stars. — Jamel Shabazz

Have I gotten any threats? All I get is threats. I get at least six or seven a day. — Betty Shabazz

I think that's what the war photography did for me. It showed me the human side of people and how certain circumstances can change people's lives. — Jamel Shabazz

I'm shooting a gangbanger, but as a dignified man. That's pretty much what war photography did: seeing images of soldiers in a dignified way. They might have been killers in Vietnam, but I'm seeing another side of them, and looking at images of the the American soldiers, also the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong - I never saw an enemy. — Jamel Shabazz

For me, the stars are the invisible people on the street that people don't really get a chance to know. — Jamel Shabazz

I think what it was with the war photography was the concerned eye, the desire to document these situations to show the world the horrors of war. It inspired me to document prostitution; inspired me to document homelessness in America. We are the richest country in the world, yet we have people suffering, so it helped me to look at things in that manner. — Jamel Shabazz

I read a recent statistic that eighty-seven percent of women are dissatisfied with themselves, and over forty-seven percent of men. My work is visu-medicine to heal people and see beauty within people. — Jamel Shabazz

Betty's a good Muslim woman and wife. I don't imagine many other women might put up with the way I am. Awakening this brainwashed black man and telling this arrogant, devilish white man the truth about himself, Betty understands, is a full-time job — Malcolm X

The majority of the people I've taken photographs of, I've had conversations with. "What are your goals and aspirations?" "What are you about?" It's not just about me capturing the image; I want to know what you are about. — Jamel Shabazz

When you look at my photos, just look into the eyes of my subjects. The eyes say so much. — Jamel Shabazz

Philip Jones Griffith documented the Vietnam War, and through his images that were published in Time Life Magazine, it showed me the horrors of war and at that time, I wanted to be a war photographer, based off his work. — Jamel Shabazz

When a photographer or a person sees your beauty, your inner beauty, it makes you feel special like, "Wow, someone saw that within me." — Jamel Shabazz

I place myself in situations where a lot of people are going to be, and bring a particular body of work that reflects the people already there. You have to study your subject. — Jamel Shabazz

Everyday, day & night, we hear the lies that September 11th is the worst tragedy, worst accident, and worst crime to ever been committed on American soil. We bear witness that the worst crime, the worst tragedy, that has ever taken place on American soil is not September 11th. It's not the twin towers. It's the holocaust that black folks been dealing with for 400 years. — Malik Zulu Shabazz

I'm not cocky at all. You ask anybody, I'm one of the nicest guys. I try to be as humble as I can, but if you work hard, sometimes you know that you earned more respect. — Shabazz Muhammad

In the NBA, you can't run from guys. I think a lot of teams were surprised by my interviews, how nice and well-spoken I am as a player and as a person. I'm a guy who wants to learn. — Shabazz Muhammad

The photograph is to a great degree evidence of the conversation I had with the person. It's a part of my visual diary. — Jamel Shabazz

Closed mouths don't get fed, and I'm gonna eat every time I get on the court. — Shabazz Muhammad

I think that photography has allowed me to have a voice. I used to stutter, and once I overcame that struggle, it felt good to tell people they were beautiful and special. — Jamel Shabazz

Life is not a destination; it is a journey. Faith makes everything possible. In order to succeed in life, we must first believe that we can. — Ilyasah Shabazz

Love yourself, appreciate yourself, see the good in you ... and respect yourself. — Betty Shabazz

Poetic passion leaps from the depths of the soul to ignite the world... — Akilah Shabazz

Sometimes we are just divided, but we still, for the most part, we have similar hopes and dreams. — Jamel Shabazz

Most people cant' deal with reality, but indulge heavily in fantasy and fear. — Betty Shabazz

I wish you power that equals your intelligence and your strength. I wish you success that equals your talent and determination. And I wish you faith. — Betty Shabazz

I looked over and saw this man on the extreme right aisle sort of galloping to the podium. He was tall, he was thin, and the way he was galloping it looked as though he was going someplace much more important than the podium. — Betty Shabazz

I remember growing up and hearing the word "ugly" a lot. "I'm ugly." "She ugly." "He ugly." I hated it then, and I hate it now. I go past physical beauty; I tell people they have a beautiful spirit and that is something different. — Jamel Shabazz

She's the sort of girl who gets high easily, off the music, off a moment. Maybe I was like that when I first came down the Hill. All wide-eyed and trying to take it all in. Everything was exciting. — Ilyasah Shabazz

There was a time in my life that I may not have been that nice, and now I'm in a position to contribute to the education of young people, and teach them to be compassionate, be more loving, more caring, to not use profanity, to not pollute the environment - these are things that I address in my photography. I — Jamel Shabazz

The President wants to talk about a terrorist named bin Laden. I don't want to talk about bin Laden. I want to talk about a terrorist called Christopher Columbus. I want to talk about a terrorist called George Washington. I want to talk about a terrorist called Rudy Giuliani. The real terrorists have always been the United Snakes of America. — Malik Zulu Shabazz

If 3,000 people perished in the World Trade Center attacks and the Jewish population is 10 percent, you show me records of 300 Jewish people dying in the World Trade Center ... We're daring anyone to dispute its truth. They got their people out. — Malik Zulu Shabazz

Don't be bitter. Remember Lot's wife when they kill me, and they surely will. You have to use all of your energy to do what it is you have to do. [To his wife Betty Shabazz] — Malcolm X

I do believe in angels and I believe that a lot of these people I'm supposed to meet. The photograph serves as evidence; it causes me to reflect on when I met this person. — Jamel Shabazz

Yet Betty would learn among the black Muslims that any black person clever or lucky enough to reach adulthood must choose between slumber and strugle. — Russell J. Rickford

Malcolm was a firm believer in the value and importance of our heritage. He believed that we have valuable and distinct cultural traditions which need to be institutionalized so that they can be passed on to our heirs. — Betty Shabazz

What I strive to do through my work, is to teach compassion. You need to have a lot of it, in this day and time, and it's lacking. — Jamel Shabazz

You decide which ones makes more sense, which is more practical and more logical to accept. — Malik Zulu Shabazz

I want to be an NBA all-star and help my team win. That's what it's all about, is winning. I'm a competitor ... People said a lot about me being selfish and stuff like that. Getting into the league, I can't wait to shut that down. I'm a guy who wants to play and to win and love my teammates. — Shabazz Muhammad

Find the good and celebrate it. — Betty Shabazz

My explosiveness, I really couldn't show it at UCLA. It's still there. It's always been there. It was not a lot of running. It was a half-court game. Coach Howland came from the Big East, and so you know that's a grind out game. — Shabazz Muhammad

My camera is my compass; it's guided me to so many different places. — Jamel Shabazz

Photography is humbling, it really is, and it really allows for me to atone for some of the missteps I've made throughout the course of my life. — Jamel Shabazz

When I approach a person, I feel a certain way. If I don't feel that way, I'm not going to approach that individual. "I see something in you" - I want the person to know that. — Jamel Shabazz

The images of war inspired me to create, to go to different situations and communities, to document the human side of people, to show a side that we don't see. — Jamel Shabazz