---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any man who has once acclaimed violence…"
description: "\"Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.\" — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg"
---

#  Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must…

![“Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg)

> “Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.”

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Choosing violence as a method inevitably leads to dishonesty as a guiding principle.

**In simple terms:** Violence forces falsehood.

Key Takeaway

Avoid violent means.

Themes

ethics integrity politics

Mood

serious reflective

Type

moral political

When to use this quote

- activism
- leadership
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

Moral philosophy political theory

Questions to Reflect On

- Can ethical means achieve the same goals?
- What alternatives exist to violent tactics?

A Different Perspective

Violence may be rationalized as necessary.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [Antiwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiwar/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Let us not forget that violence does not live alone and is not capable of living alone: it is necessarily interwoven with falsehood. Between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/let-us-not-forget-that-violence-does-not-live-alone-and-is-not/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/anyone-who-has-proclaimed-violence-his-method-inexorably-must-choose/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Any man who has once proclaimed violence as his method is inevitably forced to take the lie as his principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-man-who-has-once-proclaimed-violence-as-his-method-is-inevitably/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“Violence is the method of ignorance, the weapon of the weak. The strong of heart and brain need no violence, for they are irresistible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-berkman/violence-is-the-method-of-ignorance-the-weapon-of-the-weak-the-strong/)

[Alexander Berkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-berkman/)

> [Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence. Any man who has once proclaimed violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/violence-can-only-be-concealed-by-a-lie-and-the-lie-can-only-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [As the ANC, we have got to condemn violence as a method of addressing our differences and disputes amongst us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-ramaphosa/as-the-anc-we-have-got-to-condemn-violence-as-a-method-of-addressing/)

[Cyril Ramaphosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-ramaphosa/)

> [The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-american-fascist-would-prefer-not-to-use-violence-his-method-is/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/)

Stefan Halper

> [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

> [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

[Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

## More Anti war quotes

> [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/)

Stefan Halper

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The way I'm going now is to focus on peace, to create peace. As Sister Corita said, "I don't go to anti-war rallies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-way-i-m-going-now-is-to-focus-on-peace-to-create-peace-as-sister/)

[Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/)

> [Here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war doesn't mean you're anti-troops. Just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/here-s-the-thing-just-because-you-re-pro-troops-doesn-t-mean-you-re/)

[Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/)

> [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/repetition-does-not-transform-a-lie-into-a-truth/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/once-conscription-was-introduced-during-the-first-world-war-and-once/)

[Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/)

[Browse all 486 Anti war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence-as-his-method-must-inexorably/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anti war"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence-as-his-method-must-inexorably/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_anti-war_any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence_644442.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
                "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": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Any man who has once acclaimed...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence-as-his-method-must-inexorably/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-man-who-has-once-acclaimed-violence-as-his-method-must-inexorably/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```