--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our leaders must hear us speaking on…" description: "\"Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters in South Sudan. If the moral duty to save lives and work toward peace is not co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/forest-whitaker-3022_brothers-and-sisters_our-leaders-must-hear-us-speaking-on-beh_1238323.jpg" --- # Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our… ![“Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters in South Sudan. If the moral duty to save lives and work toward peace is not compelling enough to drive decision-makers, we must remind them that we care and will hold them accountable.” quote by Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/forest-whitaker-3022_brothers-and-sisters_our-leaders-must-hear-us-speaking-on-beh_1238323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/forest-whitaker-3022_brothers-and-sisters_our-leaders-must-hear-us-speaking-on-beh_1238323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/forest-whitaker-3022_brothers-and-sisters_our-leaders-must-hear-us-speaking-on-beh_1238323.jpg) > “Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters in South Sudan. If the moral duty to save lives and work toward peace is not compelling enough to drive decision-makers, we must remind them that we care and will hold them accountable.” [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders must listen to the oppressed and be held accountable for peace and life‑saving actions. **In simple terms:** Leaders should hear the vulnerable and be accountable. Key Takeaway Demand empathy and accountability from decision‑makers. Themes justice leadership human rights peace Mood urgent hopeful Type political motivational When to use this quote - political negotiations - NGO campaigns - community organizing Key Concepts moral responsibility advocacy accountability Questions to Reflect On - How can we make moral duty compelling? - What mechanisms ensure accountability? A Different Perspective Leaders may claim other priorities over moral duty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Leaders Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-hear-2166770/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Moral duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-duty/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Save Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-lives/) [South Sudan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-sudan-497372/) [Sudan Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudan-moral-3857379/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I think right now is when we need to hear different voices coming out of all parts of the world. You can't just hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/i-think-right-now-is-when-we-need-to-hear-different-voices-coming-out/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [Leaders come in many forms, with many styles and diverse qualities. There are quiet leaders and leaders one can hear in the next county.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/leaders-come-in-many-forms-with-many-styles-and-diverse-qualities/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [While it's easy for South Sudan to feel distant, the situation is all too real for the South Sudanese mothers choosing which child gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/while-it-s-easy-for-south-sudan-to-feel-distant-the-situation-is-all/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I am just back from South Sudan, one of the world's most fragile nations. For years, I have been moved by the kind people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-am-just-back-from-south-sudan-one-of-the-world-s-most-fragile/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I fought for years in South Sudan for the unity of Sudan. I was a commander in the fields, fighting for the unity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-al-bashir/i-fought-for-years-in-south-sudan-for-the-unity-of-sudan-i-was-a/) [Omar al-Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-al-bashir/) > [We encourage the international community to redouble its efforts to support social and economic development in South Sudan for the benefit of the citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwai-kibaki/we-encourage-the-international-community-to-redouble-its-efforts-to/) [Mwai Kibaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwai-kibaki/) > [Salute For those who made the history of South sudan with their blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabor-maker-kulang/salute-for-those-who-made-the-history-of-south-sudan-with-their-blood/) [Mabor Maker Kulang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabor-maker-kulang/) > [It's a small world when you're from South Sudan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/it-s-a-small-world-when-you-re-from-south-sudan/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [South Sudan has faced numerous challenges, which include professionalising the security sector, establishing ministries and parliamentary structures with the appropriate capacity for policy making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-lajcak/south-sudan-has-faced-numerous-challenges-which-include/) [Miroslav Lajcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-lajcak/) > [There is so much poverty and desperation in South Sudan, and yet each side is militarily equipped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/there-is-so-much-poverty-and-desperation-in-south-sudan-and-yet-each/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [South Sudan is one of the most hard-put places in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/south-sudan-is-one-of-the-most-hard-put-places-in-the-world/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Always Remember Never Forget South Sudan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabor-maker-kulang/always-remember-never-forget-south-sudan/) [Mabor Maker Kulang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabor-maker-kulang/) > [The south really wants Abyei; they have a core constituency who reside in the area who believe that Abyei belongs to the south. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/the-south-really-wants-abyei-they-have-a-core-constituency-who-reside/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [The governments of south Sudan must make sure that everybody will get a nationality - that nobody will become stateless because of this separation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/the-governments-of-south-sudan-must-make-sure-that-everybody-will-get/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [South Sudan is my home, and I am humbled to be in a position to help those suffering from lack of access to basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/south-sudan-is-my-home-and-i-am-humbled-to-be-in-a-position-to-help/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) ## More by Forest Whitaker > [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/in-high-school-i-did-some-musicals-but-i-never-took-acting-until/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I'm really excited that people are receiving my performance like this. It makes me feel good, because I've been working really hard. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-m-really-excited-that-people-are-receiving-my-performance-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I go to a reunion in east Texas, my mother's side or my father's, one out of ten is a preacher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-go-to-a-reunion-in-east-texas-my-mother-s-side-or-my-father-s/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [ As an artist, it's a great opportunity to play a character like this \[Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland\]. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/as-an-artist-it-s-a-great-opportunity-to-play-a-character-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's all about destiny. That's why people look at the zodiac or the I Ching - because there's a certain order to life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-all-about-destiny-that-s-why-people-look-at-the-zodiac-or-the-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [My wife is completely different from me: she's good with everyone, whereas I'm good at directed conversation when I have a purpose for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/my-wife-is-completely-different-from-me-she-s-good-with-everyone/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I was a curious child. I'd debate with anyone who came to the door - people from the Islamic community... Jehovah's Witnesses... anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-was-a-curious-child-i-d-debate-with-anyone-who-came-to-the-door/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do. You know?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/there-was-a-time-in-my-acting-career-where-i-was-trying-to-figure-out/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/the-first-time-i-ever-went-out-of-the-country-it-was-to-london-i-was/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird, because I grew immensely as an artist, I learned a lot, and also, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-because-i-grew-immensely-as-an/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I try to be like a forest: revitalizing and constantly growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-try-to-be-like-a-forest-revitalizing-and-constantly-growing/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I stay true, because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-stay-true-because-whatever-the-project-is-i-m-still-looking-for/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's a contract of connection to be in the same space and watch and listen to stories and be caught in them. When you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-a-contract-of-connection-to-be-in-the-same-space-and-watch-and/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) [Explore all 142 Forest Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## More Brothers and sisters quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) [Spencer Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-moody/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Mr. Peabody is this genetic anomaly. He does have brothers and sisters, all of them non-speaking, not super-smart dogs. He's an outcast, but has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/mr-peabody-is-this-genetic-anomaly-he-does-have-brothers-and-sisters/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/jeremiah-wright-is-one-of-the-greatest-prophetic-preachers-that-black/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-p-johnson/how-many-years-has-it-taken-people-to-realize-that-we-are-all/) [Marsha P. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-p-johnson/) > [I have 10 brothers and sisters. My mother raised us because my father died when I was 8.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters-my-mother-raised-us-because-my-father/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [We have forgotten to be our brothers and sisters keepers. And we have forgotten that the Number 1 goal is to love one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/we-have-forgotten-to-be-our-brothers-and-sisters-keepers-and-we-have/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [Brothers and sisters, white people will come in to chastise us. But since we are no longer forsaken, and are the people of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/brothers-and-sisters-white-people-will-come-in-to-chastise-us-but/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [With a basic understanding of all humans as brothers and sisters, we can appreciate the usefulness of different systems and ideologies that can accommodate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-a-basic-understanding-of-all-humans-as-brothers-and-sisters-we/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [God helping me, I will help my brothers and sisters in Christ, because they are my brothers and sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barber-lightfoot/god-helping-me-i-will-help-my-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ-because/) [Joseph Barber Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barber-lightfoot/) [Browse all 956 Brothers and sisters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our leaders must hear us speaking on behalf of our brothers and sisters in South Sudan. 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