We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. —Martin Luther King Jr. More about this quote Tags: civil disobedience nonviolence tension Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Simone Weil once said, "I would like to achieve the kind of radiance that can bring about nonviolently what other people might have to do violently." And, of course, we see teachers like that. We see parents like that, who have a kind of radiance so that they don't have to raise their voice; they don't have to beat their children. . . . They simply make a different atmosphere. —Sissela Bok More about this quote Tags: change parents nonviolence violence persuasion radiance yelling Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
A liberation movement that is nonviolent sets the oppressor free as well as the oppressed. —Barbara Deming More about this quote Tags: nonviolence violence oppression liberation oppressed Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience that reconciliation becomes a reality. —Martin Luther King Jr. More about this quote Tags: strength hearts change conscience respect nonviolence courage oppression self-respect Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Nonviolence is not some exalted regimen that can be practiced only by a monk or a master; it also pertains to the way one interacts with a child, vacuums a carpet, or waits in line. . . . Whenever we separate ourselves from a given situation (for example, through inattentiveness, negative judgments, or impatience), we "kill" something valuable: . . . people, things, one's own composure, the moment itself. . . . These small-scale incidences of violence accumulate relentlessly, are multiplied on a social level, and become a source of the large-scale violence that can sweep down upon us so suddenly. . . . One need not wait until war is declared and bullets are flying to work for peace. . . . A more constant and equally urgent battle must be waged each day against the forces of one's own anger, carelessness, and self-absorption. —Kenneth Kraft More about this quote Tags: patience nonviolence moment anger practice Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Nonviolence doesn't always work — but violence never does. —Madge Micheels-Cyrus More about this quote Tags: work nonviolence violence Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. —Martin Luther King Jr. More about this quote Tags: hate spirit nonviolence violence Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email
Gandhi once declared that it was his wife who unwittingly taught him the effectiveness of nonviolence. Who better than women should know that battles can be won without resorting to physical strength? —Barbara Deming More about this quote Tags: strength nonviolence women Permalink for this quote facebook twitter tumblr email