--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important assets we have are our…" description: "\"The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working pe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg" --- # The most important assets we have are our bodies and our… ![“The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg) > “The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our health and vitality are essential resources that empower effective political action for marginalized communities. **In simple terms:** Health and energy are key resources for activism. Key Takeaway Preserve and channel personal energy into collective struggle. Themes health activism social justice empowerment Mood determined hopeful urgent Type motivational philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community organizing - grassroots campaigns - self‑care for activists - political rallies Key Concepts resource theory collective action well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect your energy while staying active? - What practices sustain your well‑being in activism? A Different Perspective Neglecting personal health can undermine long‑term effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-activism/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Working people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-people/) ## Related quotes > [Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/laws-have-to-be-backed-up-with-resources-and-political-will-and-deep/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [A home is one of the most important assets that most people will ever buy. Homes are also where memories are made and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/a-home-is-one-of-the-most-important-assets-that-most-people-will-ever/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [When you're out in the field and spending time in these different places around the world, humility is one of the most important assets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-ward/when-you-re-out-in-the-field-and-spending-time-in-these-different/) [Clarissa Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-ward/) > [Our children are our most important assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-erickson/our-children-are-our-most-important-assets/) [Rodney Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-erickson/) > [“For me integrity and enquiring mind are the most important assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moutasem-algharati/for-me-integrity-and-enquiring-mind-are-the-most-important-assets/) [Moutasem Algharati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moutasem-algharati/) > [The American Dream is individualistic. Martin Luther King's dream was collective. The American Dream says, "I can engage in upward mobility and live the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-american-dream-is-individualistic-martin-luther-king-s-dream-was/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. He was concerned about the treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-martin-luther-king-would-always-keep-track-of-collective/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We need to put strong Democratic pressure on President Obama in the name of poor and working people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/we-need-to-put-strong-democratic-pressure-on-president-obama-in-the/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ We \[Americans\] have to get beyond the greed-run-amok. We have to get beyond indifference to the poor and working people. We have to get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/we-americans-have-to-get-beyond-the-greed-run-amok-we-have-to-get/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Martin Luther King would celebrate the symbolic status (of having a black president), but he would examine what the real substance was. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/martin-luther-king-would-celebrate-the-symbolic-status-of-having-a/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We want an economic team, Paul Krugman and Robert Kuttner, Joseph Steiglitz's people and others, who say, you know what? We're sophisticated economists but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/we-want-an-economic-team-paul-krugman-and-robert-kuttner-joseph/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Certainly Martin Luther King, in the mainstream perception of him, had a dream. Yes, he did. But the question becomes, what was that dream?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/certainly-martin-luther-king-in-the-mainstream-perception-of-him-had/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I'm not pessimistic, because poor people tend to bounce back. We've been through worse than this - working people been through worse than this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-m-not-pessimistic-because-poor-people-tend-to-bounce-back-we-ve/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ I know my dear brother, President \[Barack\] Obama, has a bust of Martin King right there in the Oval Office, but the question is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-know-my-dear-brother-president-barack-obama-has-a-bust-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Martin Luther King was not a Marxist or a communist, but his radical love leads him to put poor and working people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/martin-luther-king-was-not-a-marxist-or-a-communist-but-his-radical/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Activism quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/) Seyla Benhabib > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-ellis/paul-revere-earned-his-living-as-a-silversmith-but-what-do-we/) Susan J. Ellis > [Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/being-in-service-and-being-involved-in-something-that-is-greater-than/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“The times do not call for grassroots political activism, as if the next election might be enough to reverse a massive cultural earthquake. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-miller/the-times-do-not-call-for-grassroots-political-activism-as-if-the/) Paul D. Miller > [He went to Paris looking for answers to questions that bothered him so. He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/he-went-to-paris-looking-for-answers-to-questions-that-bothered-him/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [“Until you find a cause you can die for, you are not worthy to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/until-you-find-a-cause-you-can-die-for-you-are-not-worthy-to-live/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [Ya'll know what you need to do? Get together, make a We Are The World record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/ya-ll-know-what-you-need-to-do-get-together-make-a-we-are-the-world/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [“There is no way to tell if we are the pioneers of a visionary new age, whisking humanity into the high vibrations of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-talat-phillips/there-is-no-way-to-tell-if-we-are-the-pioneers-of-a-visionary-new-age/) [Jonathan Talat Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-talat-phillips/) > [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political and social consciousness, does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-harvey/a-spirituality-that-is-only-private-and-self-absorbed-one-devoid-of/) [Andrew Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-harvey/) [Browse all 820 Activism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in political activism for poor and working people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-our-bodies-and-our-energy-which/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-our-bodies-and-our-energy-which/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/cornel-west-708_activism_the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-ou_2211207.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The most important assets we have are our bodies and our energy which can be put to good use as resources in…” — Cornel West", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The most important assets we have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-our-bodies-and-our-energy-which/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-most-important-assets-we-have-are-our-bodies-and-our-energy-which/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```