Direct Action Quotes

• Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Freedom, 4th Of July, Jail

  "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 16 Apr. 1963

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• Justice too long delayed is justice denied.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Long, Justice, Denied

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr., for Students”, p.97, Beacon Press

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• Non-violent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored... I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, and there is a type of constructive tension that is necessary for growth.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Issues, Creative, Community

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.88, Beacon Press

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• Direct action is, ultimately, the defiant insistence on acting as if one is already free.

  David Graeber

  Acting, Ifs, Insistence

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• The purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Inspirational, Doors, Purpose

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.89, Beacon Press

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• The great social justice changes in our country have happened when people came together, organized, and took direct action. It is this right that sustains and nurtures our democracy today. The civil rights movement, the labor movement, the women's movement, and the equality movement for our LGBT brothers and sisters are all manifestations of these rights.

  Dolores Huerta

  Country, Brother, Rights

  "Election Day is the Most Important Day of Your Life" by Joe Baker, www.huffingtonpost.com. October 27, 2016.

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• Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens.

  Howard Zinn

  Voting, Democracy, Citizens

  Howard Zinn (2012). “The Historic Unfulfilled Promise”, p.208, City Lights Publishers

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• The most drastic and usually the most effective remedy for fear is direct action.

  William Burnham Woods

  Remedy, Drastic, Action

  "The Normal Mind". Book by William H. Burnham, p. 424, 1924.

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• Each of us contributes our own piece to the whole, each in our own way, each in our own time with the gifts and talents that are ours. You ask about possible vehicles for change: question, stand, speak, act. Engage in unruly behavior. Disturb the status quo. Take direct action. Commit civil disobedience. Make art. Build community. Dance. Sing. Farm. Cook. Create something beautiful and then give it away. Find your own monkey wrench and use it with the force of love. Sharpen your pencil. Vote.

  Terry Tempest Williams

  Beautiful, Art, Giving

  Source: therumpus.net

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• If the government or the parties won't address our needs, we will. It's about direct action, even civil disobedience.

  Edward Snowden

  Party, Government, Needs

  Source: www.thenation.com

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• For years now I have heard the word "wait." It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never."

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Inspirational, Years, Waiting

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.90, Beacon Press

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• There is one central characteristic of anarchism on the matter of means, and that central principle is a principle of direct action - of not going through the forms that the society offers you, of representative government, of voting, of legislation, but directly taking power.

  Howard Zinn

  Mean, Government, Voting

  "Rebels Against Tyranny". Interview with Ziga Vodovnik, www.counterpunch.org. May 12, 2008.

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• Even if it doesn't work, there is something healthy and invigorating about direct action

  Henry Miller

  Funny, Humor, Healthy

  Henry Miller (1952). “Remember to Remember”

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• For some of the large indignities of life, the best remedy is direct action. For the small indignities, the best remedy is a Charlie Chaplin movie. The hard part is knowing the difference.

  Carol Tavris

  Differences, Knowing, Chaplin

  Carol Tavris (1989). “Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion”, p.293, Simon and Schuster

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• Actually, 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. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with an its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Covered Up, Medicine, Light

  Martin Luther King (Jr.) (1964). “Why we can't wait”

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• Marches work, rallies work, civil disobedience works, direct action works, voting works, writing letters works, speaking to churches and schools works, rioting works.

  Cleve Jones

  Writing, School, Voting

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• Direct action is the logical, consistent method of Anarchism.

  Emma Goldman

  Logical, Method, Consistent

  Emma Goldman (2015). “Anarchism and Other Essays”, p.44, Sheba Blake Publishing

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• When the democratic deficit is so enormous, people are left with very little option but to take peaceful, non-violent direct action.

  Caroline Lucas

  People, Peaceful, Littles

  "Caroline Lucas among dozens arrested in Balcombe anti-fracking protest" by Fiona Harvey, Peter Walker, www.theguardian.com. August 19, 2013.

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• Men and women ... do you not realize that the State is the worst enemy you have? It is a machine that crushes you in order to sustain the ruling class, your masters. Like naïve children you put your trust in your political leaders. You make it possible for them to creep into your confidence, only to have them betray you to the first bidder. But even where there is no direct betrayal, the labour politicians make common cause with your enemies to keep you in leash, to prevent your direct action. The State is the pillar of capitalism, and it is ridiculous to expect any redress from it.

  Emma Goldman

  Crush, Children, Betrayal

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• Each situation has to be evaluated separately, for all are different. In general, I believe in non-violent direct action, which involve organizing large numbers of people, whereas too often violent uprisings are the product of a small group. If enough people are organized, violence can be minimized in bringing about social change.

  Howard Zinn

  Believe, Uprising, Numbers

  ZNet forum reply, May 26, 1999.

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• The idea of direct action against the evil that you want to overcome is a kind of common denominator for anarchist ideas and anarchist movements. I think one of the most important principles of anarchism is that you cannot separate means and ends. Anarchism requires means and ends to be in line with one another. I think this is in fact one of the distinguishing characteristics of anarchism.

  Howard Zinn

  Mean, Thinking, Ideas

  "Rebels Against Tyranny". Interview with Ziga Vodovnik, www.counterpunch.org. May 12, 2008.

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• Direct action against the authority in the shop, direct action against the authority of the law, direct action against the invasive, meddlesome authority of our moral code, is the logical, consistent method of Anarchism. Will it not lead to a revolution? Indeed, it will. No real social change has ever come without a revolution. People are either not familiar with their history, or they have not yet learned that revolution is but thought carried into action.

  Emma Goldman

  Real, Law, People

  Emma Goldman (2015). “Anarchism and Other Essays”, p.44, Sheba Blake Publishing

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• Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Inspirational, Issues, Creative

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2013). “The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" and Other Great Writings”, p.88, Beacon Press

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• In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Self, Campaigns, Four

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2011). “Why We Can't Wait”, p.57, Beacon Press

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• Yet what you need is not marches, demonstrations, rallies or wide associations, all of them are important. What you need is direct action. The sooner people understand that, the sooner we'll begin to change things.

  Arthur Scargill

  People, Important, Association

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