"(...) it was clear that that the 26th July Movement had the overwhelming support and sympathy of the people (APPLAUSE); it was clear that the 26th July Movement had the almost unanimous support of Cuba's youth"
Quotes
“This revolution was not made by one class; it is an important fact. It was not done by one class, it was done by the youth; at least it was the youth that began the revolution and then the people gradually joined it; and after the youth, it was the peasants, these men who live off the land, away from the cities, because these were the first to come”.
"The next generation will be better than we are, but we shall be the ones who have made that better generation possible. We shall be the ones who forge that future generation. "
"Trusting in our youth is like considering them the best raw material of our homeland, the best raw material of youth, of the Revolution; trusting in our youth is like seeing all what our youth can do; it is thinking of them as honourable followers of the revolutionary work; it is considering them the best followers or builders of the revolutionary work, even better than ourselves."
“What we give young people are the elements with which to judge reality, those that are right in front of them, the elements that make up the work of a revolution. What we give young people is a worthy cause to defend, a just cause, a heroic cause, a glorious cause. What we give young people is a beautiful cause. What we give young people is what the heart of every young person asks for and needs: something to fight for, a decorous path for one’s life. What we give young people is a notion of tomorrow. What we give young people is what could not even be conceived of yesterday: the future, the image of the future, a future that will be entirely theirs…”
“We want the youth to be well-educated, well-schooled, well-organized, well-trained, and well-informed. The Revolution has perhaps no more important task than this--the preparation of the new generations for a superior life, a better life, a different life”.
“We, in our country, have a concept: all our young people must be prepared to lead the country, all our young people must be prepared to defend the homeland. All of our young people, as their primary duty, must learn to read and write, all of them must acquire a revolutionary conscience.”
„This Revolution is the Revolution of our people; it is the Revolution of our youth; it is the Revolution of our students. Together we achieved it. Together we defend it. We are one and the same thing and we cannot ever stop being that.“
"I believe that, rather than weapons the peoples need ideas. They need a change from an inhumane, unsustainable global world that threatens life on the planet, to a just and humanitarian social order that offers humanity an opportunity to survive. The peoples need a world with a bit of drinking water and air to breathe where the necessary food is available and advanced technology can be used to produce housing, schools to educate the children, medicines to preserve human health and medical care indispensable to all, children, adolescents and the elderly".
“Sports require discipline, and they teach children and young people a great deal about discipline, resistance, stability, perseverance and courage. They help build character and promote better health and physical and mental development”.
“Put and end to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people that is taking place while the world stares in amazement. May the basic right to life of that people, children and youth, be protected. May their right to peace and independence be respected; then, there will be nothing to fear from UN documents”.
“ The longstanding blockade, and very particularly the special period and the enormous shortage of resources it entailed, combined with the supposed loss of the teaching vocation among our young people, had left profound and seemingly insurmountable scars on such an extraordinary and decisive revolutionary and social task as education”.