--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must realise that prophetic cry of…" description: "\"We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!\" — Steven Biko" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg" --- # We must realise that prophetic cry of black students… ![“We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!” quote by Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg) > “We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!” [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Black youth are told they must rely on themselves in a hostile society. **In simple terms:** Black men are urged to be self‑reliant. Key Takeaway Empower self‑reliance amid oppression. Themes identity resilience social justice Mood defiant hopeful Type political motivational When to use this quote - education - community organizing - political movements - personal development Key Concepts postcolonial theory activism Questions to Reflect On - How can community support balance self‑reliance? - What risks arise from total independence? A Different Perspective Self‑reliance can be isolating without collective support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Prophetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophetic/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [“Honor students -- black, white, or Asia Minor -- tended to be nicer. 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And there were the black students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/we-were-three-hours-from-chicago-so-my-blackness-was-less-of-a/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“As with most voluntary school integration programs, dispersal of the black children was the norm. In Portland, no more than forty-five black children were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/as-with-most-voluntary-school-integration-programs-dispersal-of-the/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [I was one of the first three black students to go to an all-white school in Tennessee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-was-one-of-the-first-three-black-students-to-go-to-an-all-white/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [At 16, I went to Smith College in Massachusetts and that was right after the peak of the civil-rights movement and all the rest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-king/at-16-i-went-to-smith-college-in-massachusetts-and-that-was-right/) [Yolanda King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-king/) ## More by Steven Biko > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [I am against the fact that a settler minority should impose an entire system of values on an indigenous people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/i-am-against-the-fact-that-a-settler-minority-should-impose-an-entire/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The wealth of the country must eventually be enjoyed by people of the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/the-wealth-of-the-country-must-eventually-be-enjoyed-by-people-of-the/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/when-you-say-black-is-beautiful-you-are-saying-man-you-are-okay-as/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [Black Consciousness seeks to infuse the black community with a new-found pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, their religion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/black-consciousness-seeks-to-infuse-the-black-community-with-a-new/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [If one is free at heart, no man-made chains can bind one to servitude, but if one's mind is so manipulated and controlled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/if-one-is-free-at-heart-no-man-made-chains-can-bind-one-to-servitude/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game that they should be playing. They want to do things for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/the-blacks-are-tired-of-standing-at-the-touchlines-to-witness-a-game/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [In a bid for change, we have to take off our coats, be prepared to lose our comfort and security, our jobs and positions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/in-a-bid-for-change-we-have-to-take-off-our-coats-be-prepared-to-lose/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The press is largely directed at white society or the so-called electorate whose values are laced with racial prejudice against black people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/the-press-is-largely-directed-at-white-society-or-the-so-called/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [Sure there are a few good whites just as much as there are a few bad Blacks. However what we are concerned here with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/sure-there-are-a-few-good-whites-just-as-much-as-there-are-a-few-bad/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [Apartheid - both petty and grand - is obviously evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/apartheid-both-petty-and-grand-is-obviously-evil/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [We believe it is the duty of the vanguard political movement which brings change to educate people's outlook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-believe-it-is-the-duty-of-the-vanguard-political-movement-which/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The black man has become a shell, a shadow of man, completely defeated, drowning in his own misery, a slave, an ox bearing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/the-black-man-has-become-a-shell-a-shadow-of-man-completely-defeated/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realise that the only vehicle for change are these people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/it-becomes-more-necessary-to-see-the-truth-as-it-is-if-you-realise/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [To a large extent the evil-doers have succeeded in producing at the output end of their machine a kind of black man who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/to-a-large-extent-the-evil-doers-have-succeeded-in-producing-at-the/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Explore all 62 Steven Biko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Biko" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-black-students-black-man-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-black-students-black-man-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/steven-biko-10985_black_we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-bl_1532127.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must realise that prophetic cry of black students: Black man you are on your own!” — Steven Biko", "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": "Steven Biko", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We must realise that prophetic cry...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-black-students-black-man-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-must-realise-that-prophetic-cry-of-black-students-black-man-you/#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 } } ] } ```