--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The purpose of armed struggle is not…" description: "\"The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill ... its purpose is to reach a political goal,\" — Abu Abbas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png" --- # The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill… ![“The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill ... its purpose is to reach a political goal,” quote by Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png) > “The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill ... its purpose is to reach a political goal,” [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Armed struggle aims beyond killing; its goal is political change. **In simple terms:** Violence is a means to achieve political objectives. Key Takeaway Recognize the political motives behind conflict. Themes politics conflict strategy Mood critical serious Type political analytical When to use this quote - war - activism - policy debates - human rights Key Concepts revolution power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Is political change possible without violence? - What alternatives exist? A Different Perspective Violence often causes unintended suffering and may fail to achieve goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armed struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-struggle/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy is not only the right to vote, it is also about not resorting to violence in order to reach political goals and respecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzipi-livni/democracy-is-not-only-the-right-to-vote-it-is-also-about-not/) [Tzipi Livni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzipi-livni/) > [Assassinating someone's character won't kill their purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deondriea-cantrice/assassinating-someone-s-character-won-t-kill-their-purpose/) [Deondriea Cantrice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deondriea-cantrice/) > [You can't kill purpose, purpose must die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-thompson/you-can-t-kill-purpose-purpose-must-die/) [Carl Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-thompson/) > [ Too rich to be relevant to the world's poor, \[Europe\] attracts immigration but cannot encourage imitation. Too passive regarding international security. Too self-satisfied, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/too-rich-to-be-relevant-to-the-world-s-poor-europe-attracts/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [There are some militarists who say: ‘We are not interested in politics but only in the profession of arms.’ It is vital that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/there-are-some-militarists-who-say-we-are-not-interested-in-politics-2/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [Thus, the focus on this main political goal must become more visible in EU politics and to achieve this, we need a political impulse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/thus-the-focus-on-this-main-political-goal-must-become-more-visible/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [Politically, the goal of today’s dominant trend is statism. Philosophically , the goal is the obliteration of reason; psychologically , it is the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/politically-the-goal-of-today-s-dominant-trend-is-statism/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There are some militarists who say: ‘We are not interested in politics but only in the profession of arms.’ It is vital that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao/there-are-some-militarists-who-say-we-are-not-interested-in-politics/) Mao > [We don't want to impose our solutions by force, we want to create a democratic space. We don't see armed struggle in the classic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subcomandante-marcos/we-don-t-want-to-impose-our-solutions-by-force-we-want-to-create-a/) [Subcomandante Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subcomandante-marcos/) > [Two years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon described the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim as a vital part of Israel's national security and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zuheir-mohsen/two-years-ago-israeli-prime-minister-ariel-sharon-described-the-gaza/) Zuheir Mohsen > [We will defend our victory through armed struggle. We will have to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/we-will-defend-our-victory-through-armed-struggle-we-will-have-to-do/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [I supported the right of oppressed people to armed struggle. That didn't mean I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rosenberg/i-supported-the-right-of-oppressed-people-to-armed-struggle-that-didn/) [Susan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rosenberg/) > [I rejected the armed struggle because, as a Christian, I am committed to a nonviolent and peaceful struggle. But people take their own initiatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mangosuthu-buthelezi/i-rejected-the-armed-struggle-because-as-a-christian-i-am-committed/) [Mangosuthu Buthelezi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mangosuthu-buthelezi/) > [Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/act-after-having-made-assessments-the-one-who-first-knows-the-measure/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I was a hardliner with regard to colonialism, which had occupied Africa and large parts of the world. We were waging an armed struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muammar-al-gaddafi/i-was-a-hardliner-with-regard-to-colonialism-which-had-occupied/) [Muammar al-Gaddafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muammar-al-gaddafi/) ## More by Abu Abbas > [It is true that a large percentage of the Western world hopes that I am imprisoned or dead. But all my people, the Palestinians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/it-is-true-that-a-large-percentage-of-the-western-world-hopes-that-i/) [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) > [When America is chasing you, the whole world is chasing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/when-america-is-chasing-you-the-whole-world-is-chasing-you/) [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) > [But all my people, the Palestinians and the Arabs, wish me long life and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/but-all-my-people-the-palestinians-and-the-arabs-wish-me-long-life/) [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) > [I do not feel remorse. Everybody makes mistakes in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/i-do-not-feel-remorse-everybody-makes-mistakes-in-war/) [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) > [We never had planned to hijack a ship. We never thought of any war plans outside the Palestinian lands. We wished that the program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/we-never-had-planned-to-hijack-a-ship-we-never-thought-of-any-war/) [Abu Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) [Explore all 6 Abu Abbas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/) ## More Armed struggle quotes > [I was a hardliner with regard to colonialism, which had occupied Africa and large parts of the world. We were waging an armed struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muammar-al-gaddafi/i-was-a-hardliner-with-regard-to-colonialism-which-had-occupied/) [Muammar al-Gaddafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muammar-al-gaddafi/) > [Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/act-after-having-made-assessments-the-one-who-first-knows-the-measure/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I rejected the armed struggle because, as a Christian, I am committed to a nonviolent and peaceful struggle. But people take their own initiatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mangosuthu-buthelezi/i-rejected-the-armed-struggle-because-as-a-christian-i-am-committed/) [Mangosuthu Buthelezi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mangosuthu-buthelezi/) > [I supported the right of oppressed people to armed struggle. That didn't mean I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rosenberg/i-supported-the-right-of-oppressed-people-to-armed-struggle-that-didn/) [Susan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rosenberg/) > [We will defend our victory through armed struggle. We will have to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/we-will-defend-our-victory-through-armed-struggle-we-will-have-to-do/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [Two years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon described the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim as a vital part of Israel's national security and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zuheir-mohsen/two-years-ago-israeli-prime-minister-ariel-sharon-described-the-gaza/) Zuheir Mohsen > [We don't want to impose our solutions by force, we want to create a democratic space. We don't see armed struggle in the classic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subcomandante-marcos/we-don-t-want-to-impose-our-solutions-by-force-we-want-to-create-a/) [Subcomandante Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subcomandante-marcos/) > [The main form of struggle is war; the main form of organization is the army... . Without armed struggle there would be no place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-main-form-of-struggle-is-war-the-main-form-of-organization-is-the/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [My father believed in armed struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-father-believed-in-armed-struggle/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Our militant union with peoples which still have to carry on an armed struggle against the colonialists constitutes an important element of our line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/our-militant-union-with-peoples-which-still-have-to-carry-on-an-armed/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [The IRA has abandoned its armed struggle in pursuit of its goals by political means. This must be fully acknowledged. Continued challenge does nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-walsh/the-ira-has-abandoned-its-armed-struggle-in-pursuit-of-its-goals-by/) [James T. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-walsh/) > [In the past I have defended the right of the IRA to engage in armed struggle. I did so because there was no alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-adams/in-the-past-i-have-defended-the-right-of-the-ira-to-engage-in-armed/) [Gerry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-adams/) > [Armed struggle is a necessary and morally correct form of resistance in the Six Counties against a government whose presence is rejected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-adams/armed-struggle-is-a-necessary-and-morally-correct-form-of-resistance/) [Gerry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-adams/) > [I don't accept armed struggle. Maybe it was the way in the '50s and '60s, but we want a democratic revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/i-don-t-accept-armed-struggle-maybe-it-was-the-way-in-the-50s-and-60s/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [The armed struggle is not ending just now. We are upholding a ceasefire. We have our arms with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/the-armed-struggle-is-not-ending-just-now-we-are-upholding-a/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) [Browse all 19 Armed struggle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-struggle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill ... its purpose is to reach a political goal,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abu Abbas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-simply-to-kill-its-purpose-is-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Armed struggle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-simply-to-kill-its-purpose-is-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b1/abu-abbas-54760_armed-struggle_the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-sim_953484.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The purpose of armed struggle is not simply to kill ... its purpose is to reach a political goal,” — Abu Abbas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abu Abbas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-abbas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The purpose of armed struggle is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-simply-to-kill-its-purpose-is-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-abbas/the-purpose-of-armed-struggle-is-not-simply-to-kill-its-purpose-is-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```