Navi Pillay
Navanethem Pillay is a South African jurist who served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and who won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
3 quotes in this collection. Read them below, share your favourites, or follow the related links to explore similar voices.
All quotes by Navi Pillay
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“Everything is interconnected, the way society is structured and what adults say to you.”
Meaning: Pillay reflected in a 2016 interview on how her childhood under apartheid shaped her. She saw that personal limits often come from social structures and the messages absorbed from adults. Practically, it invites you to examine which inherited beliefs hold you back, and to choose differently when speaking to young people. -
“From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime.”
Meaning: Pillay, then a judge at the Rwanda tribunal, spoke after a landmark ruling that classified sexual violence as an act of genocide and a crime against humanity. It shows freedom from violence being won through law. You can apply it by backing victims' voices and refusing to treat harm as normal. -
“The biggest violators of human rights are states themselves, by commission or omission.”
Meaning: Pillay said this in a 2016 law school lecture on national sovereignty versus international human rights. Her point is that freedom is most often threatened by power, including through inaction. In daily life, it nudges you to question institutions you trust and speak up when rules quietly erode someone's rights.