Extended excerpt [Speech during the first “Youth Takeover of the UN” event. Yousafzai delivered the speech on her 16th birthday, not long after her recovery from an assassination attempt by a terrorist group opposed to education and rights for girls and women.]:

“There are hundreds of human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achive their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them.

So here I stand…one girl among many.

I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys.

I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” 

Source link: “Malala’s speech to the UN Youth Takeover” (12 July 2013) online via Theirworld: https://theirworld.org/explainers/malala-yousafzais-speech-at-the-youth-takeover-of-the-united-nations

Extended excerpt [Remarks made in advance of her appearance at the formal unveiling of a large new public library in Birmingham, England]:

“I am honoured to be part of the opening,” she said. “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. There is no greater weapon than knowledge and no greater source of knowledge than the written word.”

Source link: “Malala Yousafzai to Open Birmingham Library” (1 September 2013) online via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/02/malala-yousafzai-birmingham-library

Extended excerpt [Speech during the first “Youth Takeover of the UN” event. Yousafzai, known widely simply as “Malala,” delivered the speech on her 16th birthday, not long after her recovery from an assassination attempt by a terrorist group opposed to education and rights for girls and women.]:

“Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. An then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.”

Source link: “Malala’s speech to the UN Youth Takeover” (12 July 2013) online via Theirworld: https://theirworld.org/explainers/malala-yousafzais-speech-at-the-youth-takeover-of-the-united-nations

Extended excerpt [Nobel Lecture. Yousafzai, known widely simply as “Malala,” received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Kailash Satyarthi “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.]:

“Dear sisters and brothers, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children don’t. Why is it that countries which we call “strong” are so powerful in creating wars but are so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it, why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is so hard?

Source note: Malal Yousafzai was just 18 years old when she delivered her Nobel lecture. She remains the youngest recipient to ever receive a Nobel Prize.

Source link: “Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Lecture” (10 December 2014) online via Nobel Media AB, Nobelprize.org: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2014/yousafzai/26074-malala-yousafzai-nobel-lecture-2014/

Extended excerpt [Address to MPs, senators and dignitaries during a joint session of Parliament.]:

“When future generations read about us in their books or on their iPads or whatever the next innovation will be, I don’t want them to be shocked that 130 million girls could not go to school and we did nothing. I don’t want them to be shocked we did not stand up for child refugees, as millions of families fled their homes. I don’t want us to be know for failing them.

Let future generations say we were the ones who stood up. Let them say we were the first to live in a world where all girls can learn and lead without fear.”

Source link: “For the record: Malala Yousafzai’s speech to Parliament,” 12 April 2017 online via Macleans: https://www.macleans.ca/news/malala-yousafzai-speech-parliament/

Extended excerpt [In Skype conversation with reporter Cindi Leive]:

“The last time I spoke to Malala (by Skype, with her family milling about behind her), I asked her what she wanted Glamour’s 12 million readers to know. “You can tell them a story from my imagination!” she said cheerfully. “When God created man and woman, he was thinking, “Who shall I give the power to, to give birth to the next human being?” And God chose woman. And this is the big evidence that women are powerful. Women are strong. Women can do anything. Come out and struggle for your rights; nothing can happen without your voice.”

“Do not wait for me to do something for your rights. It’s your world, and you can change it.”

Source link: “Malala Yousafzai: The Girls’ Hero” (30 October 2013) Glamour magazine story and interview by Cindi Leive; online via Glamour: https://www.glamour.com/story/malala-yousafzai

Misattribution note:

The campaign message written by Felicity Amos for the ONE and Malala Fund has been incorrectly attributed to Malala Yousafzai. It’s easy to see how this may have happened – Yousafzai’s image appeared just below the Amos message on the ONE website, and it was followed by commentary from Malala herself.

While Malala likely agreed with the sentiment, however, the quote was not hers – and Amos should receive credit as the author.

Extended excerpt [Nonprofit appeal, featuring Pakistani education advocate Malala Yousafzai. While Malala did contribute writing for the appeal, the quote above was from the ONE preface to her image and commentary. Bold text as it appears in cited source.]:

“Malala Day (Malala’s birthday) is this Sunday, July 12th. She is turing 18 and she is done with wishes. Instead of the birthday greetings, cake, balloons, gifts, parties, new clothes, special songs or any other celebratory birthday rituals practiced around the world, Malala wants action. Specifically, Malala wants you to support the cause she almost died fighting for: access to education for everyone.

The shocking truth is that world leaders have the money to fully fund primary AND secondary education around the world – but they are choosing to spend it on other things, like their military budgets. In fact, if the whole world stopped spending money on the military for just 8 days, we could have the $39 billion still needed to provide 12 years of free, quality education to every child on the planet.

Here is Malala, a few days before her birthday kicking off the #booksnotbullets action:”

Source link: “Books not Bullets” A Birthday Request from Malala” (6 July 2015) online via ONE: https://www.one.org/us/2015/07/06/books-not-bullets-a-birthday-request-from-malala/

Misattribution note:

Bagley’s powerful cartoon was published in a number of different media sources. Today, many online resources attributed his words from the cartoon to Malala Yousafzai herself. Malala, however, is not the original source of the quote.

Extended excerpt: None – cited quote is the only text in Bagley’s editorial cartoon.

“What terrifies religious extremists like the Taliban are not American tanks or bombs or bullets. It’s a girl with a book.”

Source link: “Double Take ‘Toons: Malala Recovering” (15 October 2012) NPR: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/17/163022615/double-take-toons-malala-recovering