In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Nonviolent resistance is the most powerful weapon available to the oppressed.” This quote is often cited as an example of why civil disobedience is so important.
However, King also stated that “we must be willing to let our actions be shaped by consequences” and that “we must be prepared for the possibility that nonviolence may not work.
In this article, we have made a collection of some of the famous quotes about civil disobedience that illuminate its many meanings.
Quotes About Civil Disobedience
“Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” ― Howard Zinn
“Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“When a man’s conscience and the laws clash, it is his conscience that he must follow.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“In an unjust society the only place for a just man is prison.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“Half a century ago, the amazing courage of Rosa Parks, the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King, and the inspirational actions of the civil rights movement led politicians to write equality into the law and make real the promise of America for all her citizens.”
―David Cameron
“Mass civil disobedience is like an earthquake, a sort of general upheaval on the political plane.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
― Edmund Burke
“Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
― Abraham Lincoln
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“Civil disobedience has an honorable history, and when the urgency and moral clarity cross a certain threshold, then I think that civil disobedience is quite understandable, and it has a role to play.”
― Al Gore
“All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Sometimes to do the right thing, you have to break a law. And the key there is in terms of civil disobedience. You have to make sure that what you’re risking, what you’re bringing onto yourself, does not serve as a detriment to anyone else. It doesn’t hurt anybody else. Edward Snowden
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” ― Thomas Jefferson
I remember back in the 1960s – late ’50s, really – reading a comic book called ‘Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Story.’ Fourteen pages. It sold for 10 cents. And this little book inspired me to attend non-violence workshops, to study about Gandhi, about Thoreau, to study Martin Luther King, Jr., to study civil disobedience. John Lewis
“If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Conclusion
In conclusion, civil disobedience is an important tool that can be used to bring about change. It is a way for the people to stand up to those in power and demand their voices be heard. While it can be risky, it is often worth the risk, as it can lead to positive change. If you are interested in learning more about civil disobedience, or in participating in a protest, please visit our website or contact us for more information.
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