Quotations are like building blocks. They are nuggets of wisdom powerful in firing our imaginations and reducing often complex speeches into a few words.
Quotes are powerful words strung carefully together to deliver maximum impact. Quotes convey the deep thoughts of the mind and betrays the construct never seen on the face. Quotes are the bullets used to fight wars without a shot being fired. Quotes rally men and soldiers to lay their lives on the line to defend justice, truth and freedom. It is from the quotes of great men and women that we still find justification for the actions we take and the decisions we make.
Quotes may sound like mere words, but they are not. They are rare words that roll out of the minds of the chosen few, be they political or religious leaders, academics, lawyers, professionals and exra-ordinary individuals. Quotes that have come out of the mouths of powerful and influential people have through time changed the course of history.
Powerful quotations sting. Some calm the nerves. Some rally us all to a just cause and a few times to ignoble causes. Quotes ignite our imaginations urging us on to frontiers never thought before and to possibilities before thought impossible.
Quotes show us the opportunities before us and by heeding the innermost wisdom of quotes, we have seen monumental political developments and the beginning of socio-political revolutions.The struggle and the powerful words that cascaded from the lips of Martin Luther King Jnr. broke the chains of American racism and flung open the gates of judicial and political freedom for his people.
From South Africa, the powerful quotes from Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu were the tonic for that revolution that conquered Apartheid. Till date, they linger in the hearts of millions across the globe. Barack Obama, the American President, is also a man of words. Many quotes from him still lift our hopes for a more just union.
The evergreen quotes of Mahatma Ghandi are as fresh as the morning dew challenging us to a new day. His words brighten our hopes that a new society is possible. Mao, Walter Rodney, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, John .F. Kennedy, Lew Kuan Yu, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Zig-Ziglar, Theodore Rosevelt, Confucius, Shakespeare, Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, Aristotle, Booker T. Washington and Helen Keller and Florence Nightingale affected their generation and generations after through their words and innermost thoughts.
Back home, our own Awolowo Obafemi, Azikwe, Sardauna, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Moshood Abiola, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Ambassador Maitama Sule and a host of others lift up our spirits and still our hearts. They urge us never to give up. This tradition will never end. Because apart from wealth, means and resources, true leaders and thinkers must churn out words that serve as capsules to heal our souls and chart the path out of the storms of life.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a gifted man. He is a thinker and a speaker. He is fine with words, though may be uncanny sometimes. From his arsenal, he deploys words to confront his opponents and confidants alike. Several of his quotes form a tapestry of fine thoughts that bring clarity to a sea of confusion or issues beclouded. This serving is a collection of his thoughts overtime on some of the most germane and fundamental issues of our time as a people. They are words on marble. They are words that strike the cords of the souls of men.
These are words irreducible with time. These quotes speak out. They are laced with the clarion call that urges us all to rally for a just cause.
Chief Sunday Dare
Honourable Minister for Sports and Youth Development, Abuja
