“On behalf of all the women of Liberia, the women of Africa, and women everywhere in the world who have struggled for peace, justice and equality, I accept with great humility the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.”
Sirleaf accepted the Nobel Peace Prize as a tribute to the collective struggle of Liberian and African women for peace and equality, not as a personal honor alone.
— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia
Source: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Nobel Peace Prize Lecture, Oslo, 10 December 2011 (nobelprize.org)
More Proverbs from Liberia
One single finger cannot pick a louse.
Unity is necessary — no one person can accomplish everything working alone.
One tree cannot make a forest.
Individual effort alone cannot build what a whole community builds together.
It is better to fall while sitting than to fall while standing.
A person who starts from humility risks far less than one who falls from a position of pride.
Whenever you play with oil, some will remain on your fingers.
Involvement with something, good or bad, inevitably leaves its mark on you.
Teeth and tongue can fight but they will never stop working together to eat.
Even those who quarrel must keep cooperating because they depend on one another.
Drop by drop fill a gourd.
Small, steady contributions accumulate into something substantial over time.