“If Heaven does not completely abandon this land of the Gods, there must be an uprising of grass-roots heroes.”
Vol. IX.
Yoshida Shoin Zenshu
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Yoshida Shoin 18
Japanese politician 1830–1859Related quotes

“The tree that would grow to heaven must send its roots to hell.”

The Analects, The Great Learning
Context: The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the Kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.
Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.
From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides.

On 16 April 2016, addressing a large gathering at the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi Campus, where the EFF had a memorial lecture on the life of Solomon Mahlangu, ‘White people must stop being cry-babies’: Malema http://businesstech.co.za/news/general/120579/white-people-must-stop-being-cry-babies-malema/ (16 April 2016)

“[A] fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grass-roots and AstroTurf.”
Apparent 1985 coining of the term astroturfing, meaning "creating or operating fake 'grass-roots' campaigns"
Cited in [Young, Henry, 2 November 2009, Astroturf Lobbying Organizations: Do Fake Grassroots Need Real Regulation, Illinois Business Law Journal, http://www.law.uiuc.edu/bljournal/post/2009/11/02/Astroturf-Lobbying-Organizations-Do-Fake-Grassroots-Need-Real-Regulation.aspx, 2010-03-27]

“We can't depend on the Democrats … They got there and betrayed the grass roots that put them there”
"Bush critic Sheehan blasts US Democrats," Agence France-Presse http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070406213651.amoh9jep&show_article=1
Sourced - August 6, 2005 to present