I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you

Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian philosopher, ecofeminist, activist and author.

Quotes

• I believe Gandhi is the only person who knew about real democracy — not democracy as the right to go and buy what you want, but democracy as the responsibility to be accountable to everyone around you. Democracy begins with freedom from hunger, freedom from unemployment, freedom from fear, and freedom from hatred. To me, those are the real freedoms on the basis of which good human societies are based.
  • As quoted in "In the Footsteps of Gandhi: An Interview with Vandana Shiva" by Scott London

• The gradual spread of sterility in seeding plants would result in a global catastrophe that could eventually wipe out higher life forms, including humans, from the planet.
  • On the terminator gene, from the book "Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply" (2001), p.83

• Biopiracy (is) biological theft; illegal collection of indigenous plants by corporations who patent them for their own use.
  • On biopiracy, from the booklet "No Patents on Seeds: A Handbook For Activists" (2005)

• Earth Democracy connects people in circles of care, cooperation, and compassion instead of dividing them through competition and conflict, fear and hatred.
  • From the book "Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace" (2005), p. 11

• I've had letters from Chinese scientists at the peak of the SARS epidemic who said the problem is a hybridization between the viruses planted into GMO feed, which is then fed to animals, then the virus jumped from the animals to humans. We're going to see more and more of these kinds of risks. I think the whole issue of the H1N1 virus was the fact that it had genes for three influenza types--human, chicken, pig. All of these crossings are becoming possible because of the crossing of genes across species barriers.
  • On the SARS epidemic, as quoted in "A Visit to My Kitchen: Vandana Shiva", The Huffington Post (28 October 2011)

• Nuclear power started in weaponry. It was designed for war. And any instrument that has its origins in war always has the potential for war. First because the material you need to make bombs, you’re multiplying it though nuclear power, you’re taking uranium and turn it into plutonium. Second by equipping governments and private companies with this potential, in society you spread this potential, that here is a weapon of mass destruction available. This is exactly what happened with fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers came from explosive factories are increasingly used in terrorist attacks.
  • On nuclear power, as quoted in "Koodankulam Must Be Stopped: Vandana Shiva", DiaNuke (29 May 2012)

• Economic reforms based on the idea of limitless growth in a limited world, can only be maintained by the powerful grabbing the resources of the vulnerable. The resource grab that is essential for “growth” creates a culture of rape—the rape of the earth, of local self-reliant economies, and of women.
  • On economic reforms in India and rape in India, from "Vandana Shiva: Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women " Yes Magazine (18 January 2013)

• If you look at the graph of the growth of G.M.O.s, the growth of application of glyphosate and autism, it’s literally a one-to-one correspondence. And you could make that graph for kidney failure, you could make that graph for diabetes, you could make that graph even for Alzheimer’s."
  • On the correlation of autism, kidney failure, diabetes and Alzheimer's with GMOs and glyphosate, as quoted in "Seeds of Doubt" by Michael Specter, The New Yorker (25 August 2014)

• When Bill Gates pours money into Africa for feeding the poor in Africa and preventing famine, he’s pushing the failed Green Revolution, he’s pushing chemicals, pushing GMOs, pushing patterns.
  • On Bill Gate's philanthropic activities, from "Bill Gates is continuing the work of Monsanto, Vandana Shiva tells France24" France24 (23 October 2019)

About Shiva

• When you call somebody a fraud, that suggests the person knows she is lying. I don’t think Vandana Shiva necessarily knows that. But she is blinded by her ideology and her political beliefs. That is why she is so effective and so dangerous.
  • Mark Lynas, journalist and environmental activist, as quoted in "Seeds of Doubt" by Michael Specter, The New Yorker (25 August 2014)

• Shiva’s words are treated with earnest respect in liberal and environmental circles, where she is held in great esteem. If she insists that Monsanto and its GMO seeds have driven hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers to suicide—and she has said this frequently—then there must be something to it.
  • Keith Kloor, science journalist, as quoted in "The GMO-Suicide Myth", Issues in Science and Technology (Winter 2014)

External links

• Vandana Shiva's ZMag homepage
• Vandana Shiva's website
• An interview with Vandana Shiva