Inclusion Quotes

“If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
― Shirley Chisholm

“The antidote to feel-good history is not feel-bad history but honest and inclusive history.”
― James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

“When Europeans arrived on this continent, they blew it with the Native Americans. They plowed over them, taking as much as they could of their land and valuables, and respecting almost nothing about the native cultures. They lost the wisdom of the indigenous peoples-wisdom about the land and connectedness to the great web of life…We have another chance with all these refugees. People come here penniless but not cultureless. They bring us gifts. We can synthesize the best of our traditions with the best of theirs. We can teach and learn from each other to produce a better America…”
― Mary Pipher

“Compassion isn't just about feeling the pain of others; it's about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. 'Be compassionate as God is compassionate,' means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.

In Scripture, Jesus is in a house so packed that no one can come through the door anymore. So the people open the roof and lower this paralytic down through it, so Jesus can heal him. The focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic. But there is something more significant than that happening here. They're ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.”
― Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

“The human heart is too grand to be wasted in the gutter of cultural exclusivity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Making Britain Civilized: How to Gain Readmission to The Human Race

“The continuum in which we live is not the kind of place in which middles can be unambiguously excluded.”
― Reuben Abel

“Question hate, not harmony.
Ban bombs, not books.
Doubt borders, not benevolence.
Chain the worms, not wombs.”
― Abhijit Naskar

“There is light beyond the wall,
there is sky beyond the ceiling.
Walls broken is world awakened,
Ceiling breaking is sky awakening.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets

“Sentience of a distant space,
I stand at your starry doorstep.
Born of carbon this simple life,
I come bearing a thread of love lace.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Right or Human: 300 Limericks of Inclusion

“Inclusion plants the seed of potential, while diversity nourishes it with sunlight; together, they cultivate a thriving organizational ecosystem.”
― Prem Jagyasi, Carve Your Life: Live a great life with carvism

“Apartheid Sonnet

Integration 101: I don't exist,
that's my law of integration.
Had I not told you my name,
it'd be impossible for you
to know my culture and nation.

Any ape can boast about its culture,
I'll die roaring for all but my own.
I am local of a borderblind world,
something illegible to the cavegrown.

Borders are glorified apartheid,
Passports are glorified bus pass.
No peace can ever come to light,
from the doings of apartheid heart.

Latinos regard me as latino,
Americans reckon I'm american,
Muslims consider me a muslim,
that's how I've lived as a human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“Latinos regard me as latino,
Americans reckon I'm american,
Muslims consider me a muslim,
that's how I've lived as a human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“No peace can ever come to light, from the doings of apartheid heart.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“Any ape can boast about its culture,
I’ll die roaring for all but my own.
I am local of a borderblind world,
something illegible to the cavegrown.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“What I learnt from haters
(The Sonnet)

In the recent years I've come to realize,
when you stand firm on rights and equality,
seeing you as threat, they brand you dictator.
When you have no firm conviction whatsoever,
you ain't someone worth noting, just a number.

I'm flattered when they make serious time out
to call me stupid, meaningless and narcissist.
If intolerance of prejudice makes me a dictator,
Hundred Hitlers fall pale to my God complex.

I don't consider creatures like Winnie human,
who have no regard for rights over tradition.
If this makes you think, I'm megalomaniacal,
it's alright, you are just lost children.

I once said, no one is inferior to no one,
except those who think of others as such.
If this simple truth makes me the enemy,
ecology 101: sun always repels the badgers.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“Where bigots aren't used to resistance, every humanitarian is deemed a dictator. Where prejudice is the way of life, voice of reason sounds like act of terror.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“J'existe quand tu existes.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“Quand le monde entier devient une seule famille, c’est la véritable communauté.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“La diversité est un fait de la vie, l’inclusivité est une célébration de la vie.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“Naskar Syndrome (The Sonnet)

If you value mission over money,
you got the Naskar syndrome.
If you value mind over machine,
you got the Naskar syndrome.

Value listening over scrolling,
and you got the Naskar syndrome.
If you value behavior over belief,
you got the Naskar syndrome.

If you value rights over ritual,
you got the Naskar syndrome.
If you value life over doctrine,
you got the Naskar syndrome.

Rise, revolt and roar for reform,
then you are my soldier of dawn.
Awake, aspire, and ascend in light,
then you are my fulfilled vision.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“Aspire, perspire and persevere,
struggle till love and light are norm.
Unite, ignite and come to life,
integrate till you and the world are one.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Divine Refugee

“Made-up names come from dreamers. Their real names were stolen long ago so they dream up new ones. They make a way out of no way, make names out of no names - pull them from the sky!”
― Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Your Name Is a Song

“Up above the jungle tribes,
like a diamond in the sky,
to be a star you gotta burn,
in your light the world unites.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations

“Twinkle twinkle valiant star,
ever wonder what you are!
Far past the freeze and hate,
lever of love, you're world lifter.

Up above the jungle tribes,
like a diamond in the sky,
to be a star you gotta burn,
in your light the world unites.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations

“Come, let's hoist together the colors of all! World belongs to none, if it doesn't belong to all.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations

“World belongs to none, if it doesn't belong to all.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Brit Actually: Nursery Rhymes of Reparations

“We all carry unseen stories under our skin. We hold identities around ethnicity, gender, ability, or religion that remain invisible and are discounted by the world around us. We wish for a sense of belonging without negotiation, explanation, or being required to somehow prove our validity. In a world of separation and division, we need to learn to be better at seeing (and believing) each other.”
― Jeanette LeBlanc

“It's a small world as it is, don't make it smaller still with your puny, archaic customs of division.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Humanitarian Dictator

“Beyond tongue and tradition,
Beyond ignorance and intolerance,
Beyond fear and fanaticism,
Beyond rigidity and recklessness,
Beyond the desert of dead habit,
Beyond the logical heartlessness,
Beyond the lies of selfish order,
Beyond the highs of whims and wishes,
There's a valley of love and laughter.
Come someday, I shall meet you there.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets

“If immigrants ain't real Americans,
Neither is our revered Lady Liberty.
She too came from a distant land,
Yet today she is the American epitome...
Though I belong to the whole wide world,
Land of Lady Liberty is my home country.
A nation's character isn't defined by rigidity,
It is defined by a hearty unity in diversity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Handcrafted Humanity: 100 Sonnets For A Blunderful World