--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These are nonviolent people who have lost…" description: "\"These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas… In truth, they are heroes of our time.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c92/ai-weiwei-824_freedom_these-are-nonviolent-people-who-have-los_668274.png" --- # These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom… ![“These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas… In truth, they are heroes of our time.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c92/ai-weiwei-824_freedom_these-are-nonviolent-people-who-have-los_668274.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c92/ai-weiwei-824_freedom_these-are-nonviolent-people-who-have-los_668274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c92/ai-weiwei-824_freedom_these-are-nonviolent-people-who-have-los_668274.png) > “These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas… In truth, they are heroes of our time.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He calls nonviolent dissenters heroes, highlighting their sacrifice of freedom for expression. **In simple terms:** People who speak out peacefully are modern heroes. Key Takeaway Support and protect those who speak truth to power. Themes activism freedom courage Mood serious inspirational Type political human rights When to use this quote - protests - legal battles - media coverage Key Concepts political dissent human rights civil disobedience Questions to Reflect On - What risks do activists face today? - How can societies better protect free expression? A Different Perspective Not all dissent leads to change; repression can be severe. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-freedom-372758/) [Nonviolent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolent/) [Nonviolent People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolent-people-2766498/) [Our time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-heroes-5047888/) ## Related quotes > [We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-are-nonviolent-with-people-who-are-nonviolent-with-us/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“The truth is that there are no heroes. We're all villains excusing our actions by hiding behind a greater good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bach/the-truth-is-that-there-are-no-heroes-we-re-all-villains-excusing-our/) [Rachel Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bach/) > [“The truth is that heroes bleed and fear the same as anyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-miller/the-truth-is-that-heroes-bleed-and-fear-the-same-as-anyone-else/) [Derek Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-miller/) > [“What is most important is the deeply felt conviction that freedom is like oxygen, and I hope The Long Walk is a reminder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavomir-rawicz/what-is-most-important-is-the-deeply-felt-conviction-that-freedom-is/) [Slavomir Rawicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavomir-rawicz/) > [“I lost my freedom for so many years. Until he entered my cage. Him, with the black eyes and blacker soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-winters/i-lost-my-freedom-for-so-many-years-until-he-entered-my-cage-him-with/) [Pepper Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepper-winters/) > [Freedom is not choosing; that is merely the move that we make when all is already lost. Freedom is knowing and understanding and respecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/freedom-is-not-choosing-that-is-merely-the-move-that-we-make-when-all/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“If man will not recognize the inequalities around him and voluntarily, through the gospel plan, come to the aid of his brother, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/if-man-will-not-recognize-the-inequalities-around-him-and-voluntarily/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [Lost is our freedom When we submit to women so: Why do we need 'em When, in their best, they work our woe?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-campion/lost-is-our-freedom-when-we-submit-to-women-so-why-do-we-need-em-when/) [Thomas Campion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-campion/) > [The government will take from the 'haves' and give to the 'have nots.' Both have lost their freedom. Those who 'have', lost their freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/the-government-will-take-from-the-haves-and-give-to-the-have-nots/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [“When you are one of several, then you have lost your freedom; you cannot send for your traveling boots whenever you wish, you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/when-you-are-one-of-several-then-you-have-lost-your-freedom-you/) [SOREN KIERKEGAARD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [In Tanzania, it was more than one hundred tribal units which lost their freedom; it was one nation that regained it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-nyerere/in-tanzania-it-was-more-than-one-hundred-tribal-units-which-lost/) [Julius Nyerere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-nyerere/) > [I made a vow to myself while I was a hostage that if I were lucky enough to live and to get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/i-made-a-vow-to-myself-while-i-was-a-hostage-that-if-i-were-lucky/) [Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/) > [“Jan had friends who like him had left their old homeland and who devoted all their time to the struggle for its lost freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/jan-had-friends-who-like-him-had-left-their-old-homeland-and-who/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Surrounded by opulent banquet and shiny gold pieces, you will have lost your freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/surrounded-by-opulent-banquet-and-shiny-gold-pieces-you-will-have/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. 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