We cannot succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.
I am not here to speak against the Taliban. I’m here to speak up for the right of every child.
The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.
I think life is always dangerous. Some people get afraid of it. Some people don’t go forward. But some people, if they want to achieve their goal, they have to go. They have to move...
I don’t want to be remembered as the girl who was shot. I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up.
There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights, but this time we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women’s rights rather I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves.
A girl has the power to go forward in her life. And she’s not only a mother, she’s not only a sister, she’s not only a wife. But a girl has the – she should have an identity. She should be recognized and she has equal rights as a boy.
If we want to end terrorism we need to bring quality education so we defeat the mindset of terrorism mentality and of hatred.
People say Malala’s voice is being sold to the world. But I see it as Malala’s voice reaching the world and resonating globally. You should think about what is behind Malala’s voice. What is she saying? I am only talking about education, women’s rights, and peace.
We felt like the Taliban saw us as little dolls to control, telling us what to do and how to dress. I thought if God wanted us to be like that He wouldn’t have made us all different.
Fifty seven million children across the world don’t want an iPhone, Xbox or chocolates. They want a book and pen.
We must believe in the power and strength of our words. Our words can change the world.
It is not time to tell the leaders to realize how important education is – they already know it – their own children are in good schools. Now it is time to call them to take action.
I thought that words and books and pens were more powerful than guns.
I believe in peace. I believe in mercy.
My dream is to empower myself with education, and then it is a weapon.
We realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way when we were in Swat, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.
We are human beings, and this is the part of our human nature, that we don’t learn the importance of anything until it’s snatched from our hands.
This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa.
My dream is to see every girl educated, in every country.