Nonviolent Quotes

“We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them -- exploiting animals in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food.”
― Cesar Chavez

“Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.”
― Cesar Chavez

“Any decent society has to be built on trust and love and the intelligent use of information and feelings. Education involves being able to practice those things as you struggle to build a decent society that can be nonviolent.”
― Myles Horton, The Long Haul: An Autobiography

“Nonviolence aims at doing no harm to living being. Compassion aims at doing good to all being.”
― Amit Ray, Nonviolence: The Transforming Power

“True education should teach us how to think, how to see the beauty in the midst of ugliness, how to love without judging, how to find opportunity to help, and how to develop a peaceful and nonviolent society.”
― Debasish Mridha

“Compassion stands on the pillars of trust, love, awareness and detachment.”
― Amit Ray, Nonviolence: The Transforming Power

“Compassion means removal of suffering – suffering of the self and the others.”
― Amit Ray, Nonviolence: The Transforming Power

“The question was not whether one should use his gun when his home was attacked, but whether it was tactically wise to use a gun while participating in an organized demonstration. If they lowered the banner of nonviolence, I said, Mississippi injustice would not be exposed and the moral issues would be obscured.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Nonviolence is power, but it is the right and good use of power.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“It is simply my way of saying that I would rather be a man of conviction than a man of conformity. Occasionally in life one develops a conviction so precious and meaningful that he will stand on it till the end. That is what I have found in nonviolence.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The Gun Stops Here
(What Gandhi meant but never said)”
― Vineet Raj Kapoor

“All my adult life I have deplored violence and war as instruments for achieving solutions to mankind’s problems. I am firmly committed to the creative power of nonviolence as the force which is capable of winning lasting and meaningful brotherhood and peace.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I need no gun to defend the society.”
― Abhijit Naskar

“Stand unbending against inhumanity, without weapons, without violence, only then will your revolution produce a better society.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Martyr Meets World: To Solve The Hard Problem of Inhumanity

“Now on, the revolution and all the future revolutions must continue without resorting to violence. I am not talking about simply nonviolence, I am talking about having an actual and utter repulsiveness towards violence. This is the fundamental requirement of a civilized revolution.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society

“Ever Onward to Equality (The Sonnet)

Someone once said,
Ever onward to victory.
I say to you today,
Ever onward to equality.
Though the objective is the same,
In path lies the distinction.
I'll say it plainly, to live is to grow,
Including the means of revolution.
Liberty is fundamental in life,
But not by harming the innocent.
Revolution of arms is revolution no more,
What's needed is revolution in conscience.
So I say, let us sacrifice all for society.
Let us rise as soldiers of universal amity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Gente Mente Adelante: Prejudice Conquered is World Conquered

“Nonviolence is the foundation of civilization, but first we must ask, what is nonviolence? No matter what my good friend Jesus said two thousand years ago, nonviolence doesn't mean nonresistance to evil, nonviolence means restraining evil without retaliating with further evil.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Şehit Sevda Society: Even in Death I Shall Live

“When the doves of amity sing, vultures of violence start falling. When vessels of inclusion speak, peddlers of sectarianism lose standing.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Handcrafted Humanity: 100 Sonnets For A Blunderful World

“Nonviolence is nonsense – or to be more accurate – bookish nonviolence is nonsense. Nonviolence is to injustice, what homeopathy is to illness – it claims all the credit without any of the responsibility. Placebo brings comfort, not change.

Does that mean, violence is the solution? That’s the problem, you see. This prehistoric world has an instinctual affinity to black and white concepts – to binary concepts – and a gigantic blind spot for grey areas. Justice is too grand an exercise to be contained by the primitive dualistic nonsense of violence and nonviolence.

Let me put this into perspective with an example. Bullets are an act of violence, silence is an act of nonviolence – but there is a third option – the option of the slipper.

Slippers are more effective in fighting bugs, than bullets – bullets make martyr of the bugs, slippers put them in their place. When the slippers of a nation’s civilians combine, even the mightiest of tyrant is bound to fall – be it a state head, court judge or law enforcement officer.

Whenever a bunch of bugs turn the courts into a cradle of animal masculinity – whenever a bunch of bugs turn the parliament into a cradle of fundamentalism and bigotry – whenever a bunch of bugs turn the police stations into a cradle of badge-bearing barbarism – grab hold of that household bug-repellent you wear on your feet, and put them to some good, wholesome use. Treat the corrupt and bigoted like your children, and do with them as you would your own child when they go astray.

When your child starts to bully other kids, if you adopt pacifism and pamper them further in the name of nonviolence, instead of taking stringent steps to nip their megalomania in the bud, it’s very much possible, they might grow up to be the next orange-haired terrorist to roam the oval office or the next musky moron who takes pleasure in destroying people’s livelihoods and providing safe haven to hate speech and disinformation to satisfy their giant ego and puny mind.

So, I repeat – pick up the democratic superweapon from under your feet and put it to good use – treat the privileged orangutans like your children and put them in their rightful place, without actually harming them. Your world, your rules – remember that. Slippers are democracy’s first line of defense, bullets it’s last.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Bulletproof Backbone: Injustice Not Allowed on My Watch

“Nonviolence is to injustice, what homeopathy is to illness – it claims all the credit without any of the responsibility.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Bulletproof Backbone: Injustice Not Allowed on My Watch

“Nonviolence doesn't mean silence, nonviolence means action out of conscience.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Hurricane Humans: Give me accountability, I'll give you peace

“Any planet that confuses guns with gallantry is a planet of apes.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın Doğar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“Military is legal terrorism.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın Doğar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“It's a tragic state of affairs, when we get used to the sight of blood. If the sight of blood makes you sick, it's good - it's a sign that your humanity isn't yet lost.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yüz Şiirlerin Yüzüğü (Ring of 100 Poems, Bilingual Edition): 100 Turkish Poems with Translations

“Military is people-approved genocide.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Tum Dunya Tek Millet: Greatest Country on Earth is Earth