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The greatest humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves.

Paulo Freire

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Paulo Freire
Age: 75 †
Born: 1921
Born: October 19
Died: 1997
Died: May 2
Economist
Educator
Philosopher
Poet Lawyer
Teacher
Writer
Timochenko
Paulo Reglus Neves Freire
Tasks
Historical
Greatest
Freedom
Pedagogy
Humanistic
Liberate
Oppressed
Task

More quotes by Paulo Freire

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The educator has the duty of not being neutral.
Paulo Freire
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Any situation in which some men prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence… to alienate humans from their own decision making is to change them into objects.
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It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice. For this to happen, a total denouncement of fatalism is necessary. We are transformative beings and not beings for accommodation.
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Teachers who do not take their own education seriously, who do not study, who make little effort to keep abreast of events have no moral authority to coordinate the activities of the classroom.
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some may think that to affirm dialogue—the encounter of women and men in the world in order to transform the world—is naively and subjectively idealistic. there is nothing, however, more real or concrete than people in the world and with the world, than humans with other humans.
Paulo Freire
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In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation, they must perceive the reality of oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit , but as a limiting situation which they can transform.
Paulo Freire
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Indeed, the interests of the oppressors lie in 'changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppresses them.
Paulo Freire
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No reality transforms itself.
Paulo Freire
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Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.
Paulo Freire
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It is in our incompleteness, of which we are aware, that education as a permanent process is grounded. Women and men are capable of being educated only to the extent that they are capable of recognizing themselves as unfinished.
Paulo Freire
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It would be extremely naive to expect the dominant classes to develop a type of education that would enable subordinate classes to perceive social injustices critically.
Paulo Freire
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At times, I have been criticized by some philosophers of education, who place me in postures that they classify pejoratively as 'revolutionary.' But I have had the satisfaction of being invited to work in societies making progressive efforts without wavering. They were changing, and so they called on me.
Paulo Freire
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It is not possible to remake this country, to democratize it, humanize it, make it serious, as long as we have teenagers killing people for play and offending life, destroying the dream, and making love unviable. If education alone cannot transform society, without it society cannot change either.
Paulo Freire
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I am dealing with people and not with things. And, because I am dealing with people, I cannot refuse my wholehearted and loving attention, even in personal matters, where I see that a student is in need of such attention.
Paulo Freire
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The intellectual activity of those without power is always characterized as non-intellectual.
Paulo Freire
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Only through communication can human life hold meaning.
Paulo Freire
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True generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity.
Paulo Freire
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Implicit in the banking concept is the assumption of a dichotomy between human beings and the world: a person is merely in the world, not with the world or with others the individual is spectator, not re-creator.
Paulo Freire
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What if we discover that our present way of life is irreconcilable with our vocation to become fully human?
Paulo Freire
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One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people. Such a program constitutes cultural invasion, good intentions notwithstanding.
Paulo Freire