Social Work Quotes

“As helpers, we often feel the need to see our impact in tangible, measurable ways. We allow negative language into our head about the “broken system;” we look through a lens of “it doesn’t matter, I can’t make a difference”. These ideas are surely contributing to our burnout.”
― Jenn Bruer, Helping Effortlessly: A Book of Inspiration and Healing

“Ignorance is animal blessing,
knowledge is human curse.
Selfishness is animal tradition,
service is human choice.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sonnets From The Mountaintop

“What we can do is think of ways we can help, using our roles and resources… At least for today.”
― Nikki Navarro, At Least for Today

“Kindness is my constitution.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“Each of you are the world's remedy,
each of you are light to life -
breathing testament to possibility,
walk, and weave the world civilized!”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“For every church, mosque, and temple you build, if you're not building ten schools and hospitals, to provide affordable education and healthcare, you are serving none but your own delusions, for holiness unfolds in human welfare.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“Holiness unfolds in human welfare.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“If the trees refused to endure storms,
no human habitat could flourish anywhere.
If the one human refuses to take pains,
whole humanity will collapse and disappear.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“You don't wake up to a better world, you toil through the dead of night, so the world wakes up civilized.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper

“The question is not, how much can I enjoy, but how much can I endure to lift up the world!”
― Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper

“Do I have any right to happiness, when millions go without food and shelter!”
― Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper

“Allergic to Opulence (Sonnet 2230)

Do I have any right to happiness,
when millions go without food and shelter!
That's why, there's not a trace of luxury in my life,
I churn out humanitarian electricity all waking hours.

Most expensive clothes I own cost 20 dollars,
most expensive devices I own cost 200 dollars.
Born to a factory worker, I never knew luxury,
then I made me a name, but saw the world's condition,
I grew an absolute repulsion to lifestyle luxurious.

The question is not, how much can I enjoy,
but how much can I endure to lift up the world!
Life's meaning comes not from what we gain for
ourselves, but from what we give up for others.

I'm existentially allergic to opulence,
every soft bed feels like a betrayal -
expensive meals scream of starving children,
dollar spent on luxury is a dollar animal.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper

“It's important for students to go into the Native community at the beginning of their master's program—their first semester—before they adopt their professor's biases.”
― Angeline Boulley, Sisters in the Wind

“When social workers don't get trained specifically on ICWA, they miss opportunities to impact Native children's lives because they aren't challenged on their biases and assumptions." Jamie walks around the room, gesturing and emphasizing key words. "Like, not asking whether ICWA applies because the child doesn't "look" Native to them. Or assuming that if a child isn't enrolled in a tribe, ICWA doesn't apply to them. The law applies to children who are enrolled and those who are eligible to be enrolled.”
― Angeline Boulley, Sisters in the Wind

“Life is a three act existence: eat, sleep and serve.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Kral Fakir: When Calls The Kainat

“Compassion is the mother of civilization.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Kral Fakir: When Calls The Kainat

“I take care of the world as my family, and someone somewhere will take care of my immediate family when I am not there, that's the kind of blind illogical faith that actually makes a difference.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Kral Fakir: When Calls The Kainat

“I look after the world as family, so the world may look after my family, when I'm not there - that's the kind of blind faith that actually makes a difference.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Nazmahal: Palace of Grace

“Access to essentials must be the first commandment of every single field and discipline, when it's the last instead, and an expendable one at that, every single field and discipline, along with its proud practitioners and proponents, are war criminals.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sonnets From The Mountaintop

“Existence lived in service of others, is existence that outlives the entity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sonnets From The Mountaintop

“I'm a mad monk,
I won't return to paradise -
the world is a giant headache,
yet my suffering is my cure.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Nazmahal: Palace of Grace

“I'm A Mad Monk (Sonnet 2702)

I'm a mad monk,
I won't return to paradise -
the world is a giant headache,
yet my suffering is my cure.

I'm exhausted, I want to sleep,
but I'm afraid, if I fall asleep,
I might not wake up -
so I toil, till the soil is human.

Soy un monje loco,
no volveré al paraíso -
o la tierra es de todos,
o ilegales todos somos.

The world ain't mine,
the world ain't yours -
either earth belongs to all,
or we are all illegal.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Nazmahal: Palace of Grace

“When The Dervish Burns (Excerpt)

You cannot have a brain,
and complacent too.
You cannot have backbone,
and conformist too.

You cannot have heart,
and host prejudice too.
You cannot be human,
and popular too.

You cannot have a self,
and not burn it.
You cannot have a life,
and not sacrifice it.

You cannot have eyes,
and not see through lies.
You cannot have ears,
and not hear the tears.

You cannot aim for the stars,
while failing life on earth.
You have zero right to luxury,
while children suffer and starve.

You cannot have faith,
and fail tolerance.
You cannot have science,
and fail at service.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Nazmahal: Palace of Grace

“You cannot have a self, and not burn it. You cannot have a life, and not sacrifice it.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Nazmahal: Palace of Grace

“If there is not a single Naskar in sight, be the Naskar of your generation.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth

“Be the last refuge for those refused. In you lies solution, in you lies the truth.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Azad Earth Army: When The World Cries Blood

“Unself your soul,
Unchain your mind.
Await no mythic might,
Unleash your thundertide!”
― Abhijit Naskar, Azad Earth Army: When The World Cries Blood

“When the Human speaks, mountains wake,
tired hearts of earth unbreak -
turn the world from ash to flame,
help the broken speak their name.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Hazrat-e Humanity: The Uncultured Polyglot

“We don't need angels in the air, when the angels are right here.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Hazrat-e Humanity: The Uncultured Polyglot

“Stars that burn for others, wither in body, but live in light.”
― Abhijit Naskar, With Love From A Blue Rock