"Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way"
About this Quote
The subtext is strategic. Segregation thrived on isolation: make each Black rider feel singularly vulnerable, then dress compliance up as "order". By insisting that many "felt the same way", Parks describes an underground commons of anger, dignity, and readiness. She is also correcting the way her story was often packaged - as a tired seamstress who accidentally sparked a movement. The intent is to restore agency and community to what gets flattened into legend.
Context sharpens the point. Parks's 1955 arrest became the catalytic symbol for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but the boycott was built by organizers, churches, labor, and networks that had been preparing for years. Her phrasing acknowledges that infrastructure without name-dropping it. It's a line that smuggles movement theory into plain speech: courage isn't rare; coordination is. And if she wasn't alone then, neither are the people who inherit the fight now.
Quote Details
| Topic | Freedom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Parks, Rosa. (2026, January 16). Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/whatever-my-individual-desires-were-to-be-free-i-83813/
Chicago Style
Parks, Rosa. "Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/whatever-my-individual-desires-were-to-be-free-i-83813/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many others who felt the same way." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/whatever-my-individual-desires-were-to-be-free-i-83813/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.











