Haile Selassie Quotes

Powerful Haile Selassie for Daily Growth

About Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie I, born Tafari Makonnen on July 23, 1892, in the town of Ejersa Goro, Ethiopia, was not only the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974 but also a significant figure in African history and Rastafarianism. Known for his wise sayings, Haile Selassie's quotes are still widely quoted today. As a grandson of Emperor Menelik II, Tafari was born into the royal family. He received a Western-style education, learning English and French, and became fluent in several languages. In 1930, he ascended to the throne following his father's death, adopting the name Haile Selassie I, meaning 'Power of the Trinity.' Haile Selassie faced numerous challenges during his reign, including foreign invasions and internal strife. He was exiled in 1936 after Italy invaded Ethiopia under Benito Mussolini but returned in 1941 to reclaim his throne. His influence extended beyond Ethiopia; he became a powerful voice advocating for African independence and unity on the global stage. Haile Selassie's major works include the establishment of modern educational and healthcare systems in Ethiopia, as well as his passionate speeches at the United Nations, calling for an end to colonialism and respect for African sovereignty. His most famous quote, "Unity is power," encapsulates his belief that unity among people could bring about great strength and change. Unfortunately, on August 27, 1975, Haile Selassie was overthrown by a military coup led by the Derg, ending his reign and marking a significant turning point in Ethiopian history. Haile Selassie's legacy continues to inspire, with his quotes resonating worldwide and his contributions to African independence still reverberating today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Let us make a special effort to remember that in the future, God willing, we shall need not foreign experts but our own local talent to solve our problems."

Haile Selassie's quote emphasizes self-reliance and the importance of utilizing local talent to address domestic issues. He suggests that instead of relying on external expertise, it would be more beneficial for a nation to invest in its own people and resources to solve problems effectively and sustainably. This perspective underscores the belief in empowering local communities through education, training, and opportunities to develop their skills and contribute to their country's progress.


"Africans! Africa belongs to you. You are its masters and you must reclaim it as such."

Haile Selassie's statement "Africans! Africa belongs to you. You are its masters and you must reclaim it as such" is a call for African unity, empowerment, and self-determination. It emphasizes the historical connection of Africans to their continent, encouraging them to take ownership of their destiny and assert control over their own lands. The quote serves as a rallying cry for Africans to reclaim their cultural, political, and economic independence in the face of colonialism, imperialism, or any external forces that may have hindered their progress. Essentially, Selassie is inspiring Africans to recognize and assert their inherent rights to their continent and build a future based on their own values, aspirations, and vision for Africa.


"Only peace can lead us to true prosperity."

Haile Selassie's quote, "Only peace can lead us to true prosperity," emphasizes that sustainable growth, development, or prosperity is impossible without a foundation of peace. Peace allows for cooperation, collaboration, and the establishment of stable environments conducive to long-term economic progress. In contrast, conflict and instability hinder efforts towards prosperity, often causing setbacks in socioeconomic advancement. Therefore, to achieve true prosperity, it is crucial to foster an environment of peace.


"It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die."

Haile Selassie's quote underscores a deep-rooted commitment to principles and ideals that transcend personal survival. It suggests that one should be prepared to sacrifice their life in defense of beliefs or causes that have the potential for lasting impact, rather than living a life dedicated to ideas that are destined to fade away. This quote is often associated with individuals who fight for justice, equality, or freedom, implying that they consider their cause to be more valuable and enduring than their own existence. It highlights a profound sense of conviction and courage in the face of adversity.


"The future of the world depends on the way we treat one another."

This quote emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, understanding, and compassion in shaping our global future. It suggests that the state of the world is closely tied to how individuals interact with each other. In essence, it underscores the idea that promoting peace, equality, and kindness among people can lead to a more harmonious, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.


Thousands of years ago, civilizations flourished in Africa which suffer not at all by comparison with those of other continents. In those centuries, Africans were politically free and economically independent. Their social patterns were their own and their cultures truly indigenous.

- Haile Selassie

Independent, Own, Other, Centuries

This world was not created piecemeal. Africa was born no later and no earlier than any other geographical area on this globe. Africans, no more and no less than other men, possess all human attributes, talents and deficiencies, virtues and faults.

- Haile Selassie

Other, Virtues, Faults, Geographical

The Charter of the United Nations expresses the noblest aspirations of man: abjuration of force in the settlement of disputes between states; the assurance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; the safeguarding of international peace and security.

- Haile Selassie

United, Distinction, Charter, Expresses

Above all, we must avoid the pitfalls of tribalism. If we are divided among ourselves on tribal lines, we open our doors to foreign intervention and its potentially harmful consequences.

- Haile Selassie

Tribal, Divided, Ourselves, Foreign

We all wish to live. We all seek a world in which men are freed of the burdens of ignorance, poverty, hunger and disease. And we shall all be hard-pressed to escape the deadly rain of nuclear fall-out should catastrophe overtake us.

- Haile Selassie

Wish, Seek, Overtake, Deadly

The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man's basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance: courage to speak and act - and if necessary, to suffer and die - for truth and justice; eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and unremedied.

- Haile Selassie

Die, Least, Freedoms, Transgression

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

Own, Nations, Domination, Asian

Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an 'is,' it is a 'becoming.'

- Haile Selassie

Peace, Product, Day-To-Day, Multitude

The Ethiopian government's use of the railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa was, in practice, a hazardous regards transport of arms intended for the Ethiopian forces.

- Haile Selassie

Practice, Transport, Use, Hazardous

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

- Haile Selassie

United, Efforts, Fuse, Ignite

It is much easier to show compassion to animals. They are never wicked.

- Haile Selassie

Pet, Never, Show, Wicked

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

- Haile Selassie

Personality, Past, Awareness, Essential

If a strong government finds that it can, with impunity, destroy a weak people, then the hour has struck for that weak people to appeal to the League of Nations to give its judgment in all freedom. God and history will remember your judgment.

- Haile Selassie

Strong, Give, Will, Impunity

We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.

- Haile Selassie

Courage, Been, Larger, Owing

The commentators of 1963 speak, in discussing Africa, of the Monrovia States, the Brazzaville Group, the Casablanca Powers, of these and many more. Let us put an end to these terms. What we require is a single African organisation through which Africa's single voice may be heard, within which Africa's problems may be studied and resolved.

- Haile Selassie

Voice, Through, Put, Organisation

History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity.

- Haile Selassie

Strength, Differences, Goals

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

Extension, We Cannot, Speedy, Provision

The nations of Africa, as is true of every continent of the world, from time to time dispute among themselves. These quarrels must be confined to this continent and quarantined from the contamination of non-African interference.

- Haile Selassie

Africa, Dispute, Continent, Interference

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

- Haile Selassie

I Am, Christ, Jesus, Worship

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

Over, Brought, Issue, Illusions

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

Voice, Been, Mattered, Acted

Outside the kingdom of the Lord there is no nation which is greater than any other. God and history will remember your judgment.

- Haile Selassie

Nation, Other, Which, Greater

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

Strong, Achieve, Before, Examples

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

- Haile Selassie

Job, Tools, Shall, Finished

Africa's mineral wealth is great; we should co-operate in its development.

- Haile Selassie

Wealth, Development, Should, Africa

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