---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need more leaders among our gente…"
description: "\"We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such. Turn the energy that many young people are put..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg"
---

#  We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers…

![“We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such. Turn the energy that many young people are putting into &quot;war&quot; and &quot;death&quot; and put it into life and true justice.” quote by Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg)

> “We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such. Turn the energy that many young people are putting into "war" and "death" and put it into life and true justice.”

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote urges channeling youthful energy from conflict toward constructive leadership and justice.

**In simple terms:** Redirect young passion from war to positive leadership and justice.

Key Takeaway

Encourage youth to become leaders for justice.

Themes

leadership justice youth empowerment peace social change

Mood

hopeful determined urgent

Type

inspirational call to action

When to use this quote

- community organizing
- political activism
- education reform
- peacebuilding
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

civic engagement ethical responsibility conflict transformation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we provide mentorship for young leaders?
- What structures turn activist energy into lasting change?

A Different Perspective

Youth may lack experience, making effective leadership challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [True justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-justice/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-and-death/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/)

## Related quotes

> [“War and death can silence the strongest of men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-e-pendziwol/war-and-death-can-silence-the-strongest-of-men/)

Jean E. Pendziwol

> [He says we need to live in the real world, where war and death are a reality, not pretend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/he-says-we-need-to-live-in-the-real-world-where-war-and-death-are-a/)

[Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/)

> [These are they whose youth was violently severed by war and death; a word on the telephone, a scribbled line on paper, and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/these-are-they-whose-youth-was-violently-severed-by-war-and-death-a/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [The basis of tragedy is man's helplessness against disease, war and death; the basis of comedy is man's helplessness against vanity (the vanity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/the-basis-of-tragedy-is-man-s-helplessness-against-disease-war-and/)

[Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/)

> [“Their language was an old wild language. They had known incredible loves and dark adventures and the twisted streets of alien cities. They had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/their-language-was-an-old-wild-language-they-had-known-incredible/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [My mind lets go a thousand things, Like dates of wars and deaths of Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/my-mind-lets-go-a-thousand-things-like-dates-of-wars-and-deaths-of/)

[Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/)

> [“I am Elaine dughter of Barnard of Ascolat. Motherless. Sisterless. I sing these words to you now, because the point of light grows smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ann-sandell/i-am-elaine-dughter-of-barnard-of-ascolat-motherless-sisterless-i/)

[Lisa Ann Sandell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ann-sandell/)

> [“You see, King, we have a legend - I used to believe that it was all fairy-tale rubbish and empty smoke. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/you-see-king-we-have-a-legend-i-used-to-believe-that-it-was-all-fairy/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [War's tragedy is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/war-s-tragedy-is-that-it-uses-man-s-best-to-do-man-s-worst/)

[Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/)

> [These warriors of the Sacred Band were inscrutable; they loved their war and death and picking through the bones of time to sort out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/these-warriors-of-the-sacred-band-were-inscrutable-they-loved-their/)

[Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/)

> [“God requires two things: ‘pure love’ and ‘true justice’. Everywhere else there is relative justice. Where ‘pure love’ and ‘true justice’ exist, there comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/god-requires-two-things-pure-love-and-true-justice-everywhere-else/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them, and stab them in the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/if-someone-stands-in-the-way-of-true-justice-you-simply-walk-up/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Too often people enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought, never taking a principled stand. True justice will never come until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kweisi-mfume/too-often-people-enjoy-the-comfort-of-opinion-without-the-discomfort/)

[Kweisi Mfume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kweisi-mfume/)

> [In the final analysis, true justice is not a matter of courts and law books, but of a commitment in each of us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/in-the-final-analysis-true-justice-is-not-a-matter-of-courts-and-law/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [“Saint Hilary saith these words plainly in the ninth canon upon Matthew: ‘Faith only justifieth.’ 14 And Saint Basil, a Greek author, writeth thus:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-bray/saint-hilary-saith-these-words-plainly-in-the-ninth-canon-upon/)

Gerald Bray

## More by Luis J. Rodriguez

> [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/)

[Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [I worked in a steel mill, I worked in a foundry, I worked in a paper mill, I worked in a chemical refinery, construction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/i-worked-in-a-steel-mill-i-worked-in-a-foundry-i-worked-in-a-paper/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [“you dont have solo rights to anything anymore,not even your crazy life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/you-dont-have-solo-rights-to-anything-anymore-not-even-your-crazy-life/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [I moved into the garage at my mom's house, she wouldn't let me into the house, and the garage didn't have any running water.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/i-moved-into-the-garage-at-my-mom-s-house-she-wouldn-t-let-me-into/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [“It never stopped, this running. We were constant prey, and the hunters soon became big blurs: the police, the gangs, the junkies, the dudes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/it-never-stopped-this-running-we-were-constant-prey-and-the-hunters/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [One summer I was homeless in L.A., when I was about fifteen, and I used to go to the library to get books. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/one-summer-i-was-homeless-in-l-a-when-i-was-about-fifteen-and-i-used/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [I was kind of a weird homie; I was a weird kid. Nobody in my family loved books. I'm the only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/i-was-kind-of-a-weird-homie-i-was-a-weird-kid-nobody-in-my-family/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [Nobody supported me; my family thought I had gone crazy. They thought, you crazy gangster, you crazy drug addict, now you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/nobody-supported-me-my-family-thought-i-had-gone-crazy-they-thought/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [The judge gave me a break. He was like: wow, we've never heard of this. So he gave me time served in the county…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/the-judge-gave-me-a-break-he-was-like-wow-we-ve-never-heard-of-this/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [“my task is to make you hear,to make you feel ,and ,above all,to make you see,that is all,and it is everything”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/my-task-is-to-make-you-hear-to-make-you-feel-and-above-all-to-make/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [ We \[people\] all need each other. Gangs do try to fill that void - but they can't do what healthy, balanced, and coherent families… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/we-people-all-need-each-other-gangs-do-try-to-fill-that-void-but-they/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [I was arrested and put in murder's row. They were trying to get me for some murders I didn't do. They had me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/i-was-arrested-and-put-in-murder-s-row-they-were-trying-to-get-me-for/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [To go against gangs or drugs is meaningless unless this is mostly done by filling in the empties, the vacuums, and stop the neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/to-go-against-gangs-or-drugs-is-meaningless-unless-this-is-mostly/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [“i'm sorry young man but the classes you chose are filled up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/i-m-sorry-young-man-but-the-classes-you-chose-are-filled-up/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [Nobody had books at home. My dad was a very educated person, so he would have books at home. All Spanish books. That helped.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/nobody-had-books-at-home-my-dad-was-a-very-educated-person-so-he/)

[Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

[Explore all 42 Luis J. Rodriguez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

## More Energy quotes

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/)

[Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/)

> [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/)

[Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/)

> [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/)

[Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/)

[Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/)

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

[Browse all 12,866 Energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such. Turn the energy that many young people are putting into \"war\" and \"death\" and put it into life and true justice.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Luis J. Rodriguez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-more-teachers-politicians/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Energy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-more-teachers-politicians/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/luis-j-rodr-guez-15197_energy_we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-mor_1299182.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We need more leaders among our gente - more teachers, politicians, businesspeople, organizers, and such…” — Luis J. Rodriguez",
                "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": "Luis J. Rodriguez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We need more leaders among our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-more-teachers-politicians/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/we-need-more-leaders-among-our-gente-more-teachers-politicians/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
