Malala’s back and better than ever with a new movie, He Named Me Malala.
The 18-year-old is continuing to speak out about the importance of girls’ rights and of education for everyone.
In addition to being a worldwide phenomenon, she is also a regular teenager. She has admitted that her younger brothers annoy her at home, and that, having grown up eating Pakistani food, she doesn’t like eating British “boiled things” at her school. She likes Katy Perry’s music and giggles when the topic of boys comes up. The fact that she is an international sensation causing celebrities to feel humbled and honored to be in her presence doesn’t seem to register with her.
So here are six awesome Malala quotes that will make your day, and six reasons why you should love her.
1) She’s outspoken about her rights
“I have the right to sing. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up. I will get my education– if it is at home, in school, or any place. They cannot stop me.”
2) When asked if she had fear of the Taliban, she had this epic response:
“No. Not even as small as an atom. Or maybe the nucleus of an atom. Or maybe a proton. Or maybe a quark.”
3) She’s a feminist
“If a man can look at me, why can’t I look at them?”
This one needs a bit of explanation: Malala was told by her culture and her mother that it is shameful for her to look a man in the eye or shake hands with him. Malala responds in typical feminist fashion.
4) She perseveres
“It is so hard to get things done in this world. You try and too often it doesn’t work. But you have to continue. And you never give up.”
5) She’s honest about her need to study
“Some people think, ‘Malala is lucky– she’s now with Hillary Clinton, she’s with Bono, she’s with rockstars.’ But on the other side, I get homework as well.”
6) She’s brave
“When I was little, many people would say, ‘Change Malala’s name. It’s a bad name. It means sad.’ But my father would always say, ‘No, it has another meaning– bravery.'”
