--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a warrior and being a struggler has…" description: "\"Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free to be so much more.\" — Assata Shakur" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png" --- # Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on… ![“Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free to be so much more.” quote by Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png) > “Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free to be so much more.” [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Oppression forces individuals into struggle, limiting freedom and potential. **In simple terms:** Oppression forces struggle, limiting freedom. Key Takeaway Resist oppression, seek liberation. Themes freedom oppression resistance identity self‑determination Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - activism - personal development - community organizing - education Key Concepts social justice psychology of oppression agency Questions to Reflect On - How does oppression shape identity? - What pathways lead to freedom? A Different Perspective Resistance can also empower personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Forced Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forced-oppression-3747139/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Struggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggler-510296/) [Struggler Forced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggler-forced-3747137/) [Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warrior/) [Warrior Struggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warrior-struggler-3747138/) ## Related quotes > [I hate war, and I hate having to struggle. I honestly do because I wish I had been born into a world where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-hate-war-and-i-hate-having-to-struggle-i-honestly-do-because-i-wish/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [At some point every struggler wants to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarkarr/at-some-point-every-struggler-wants-to-die/) [SARkARR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarkarr/) > [Call me a struggler, a failure, work in progress or underrated, but I would love people to add the word singer or musician along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/call-me-a-struggler-a-failure-work-in-progress-or-underrated-but-i/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [If I was a struggler, I would definitely have been married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehnaaz-gill/if-i-was-a-struggler-i-would-definitely-have-been-married/) [Shehnaaz Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehnaaz-gill/) > [“Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor’s cup. And he learned too late when the night came down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-johnson/often-the-struggler-has-given-up-when-he-might-have-captured-the/) [Vic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-johnson/) > [I have known Akshay from the days he was a struggler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupali-ganguly/i-have-known-akshay-from-the-days-he-was-a-struggler/) [Rupali Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupali-ganguly/) > [I think that any time anybody gets rid of oppression, intervention, exploitation, cruelty - that's positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-think-that-any-time-anybody-gets-rid-of-oppression-intervention/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Cubans understand that theirs is a country that provides sanctuary for people fleeing oppression. As a nation, they are very proud of this stance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/cubans-understand-that-theirs-is-a-country-that-provides-sanctuary/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/people-get-used-to-anything-the-less-you-think-about-your-oppression/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/) [Julie Banks Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-banks-lewis/) > [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/) [Seyla Benhabib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyla-benhabib/) > [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Oppression is something that one group of people commits against another group specifically because of a threatening characteristic shared by the latter group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/oppression-is-something-that-one-group-of-people-commits-against/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) ## More by Assata Shakur > [There is a down side to everything if you don't understand what the consequences of what you are saying in your music you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/there-is-a-down-side-to-everything-if-you-don-t-understand-what-the/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [My energy just couldn’t stop dancing. I was caught up in the music of struggle, and i wanted to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/my-energy-just-couldn-t-stop-dancing-i-was-caught-up-in-the-music-of/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I am a Black revolutionary woman, and because of this i have been charged with and accused of every alleged crime in which a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-am-a-black-revolutionary-woman-and-because-of-this-i-have-been/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Imperialism is the underlying motor of racism. The underlying reason that racism keeps on being promoted in all of its various forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/imperialism-is-the-underlying-motor-of-racism-the-underlying-reason/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/in-the-long-run-the-people-are-our-only-appeal-the-only-ones-who-can/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I think anybody who is honestly struggling against racism must struggle against imperialism and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-think-anybody-who-is-honestly-struggling-against-racism-must/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Every person that steps up and commits to social change helps solidify the black movement cause. It is not easy for those who fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/every-person-that-steps-up-and-commits-to-social-change-helps/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I think that people who want to change this planet have to seriously understand that as human beings we have to work to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/i-think-that-people-who-want-to-change-this-planet-have-to-seriously/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [If the U.S. succeeds in destroying the revolution, my status will be like that of most Cubans: I'll be up a creek without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/if-the-u-s-succeeds-in-destroying-the-revolution-my-status-will-be/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/no-one-is-going-to-give-you-the-education-you-need-to-overthrow-them/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [There's something nice about being able to go to sleep at night saying "You know, tomorrow I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/there-s-something-nice-about-being-able-to-go-to-sleep-at-night/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [And if I know anything at all, it's that a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/and-if-i-know-anything-at-all-it-s-that-a-wall-is-just-a-wall-and/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Being in Cuba has allowed me to live in a society that is not at war with itself. There is a sense of community.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-in-cuba-has-allowed-me-to-live-in-a-society-that-is-not-at-war/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [“Don’t you know that slavery was outlawed?” “No,” the guard said, “you’re wrong. Slavery was outlawed with the exception of prisons. Slavery is legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/don-t-you-know-that-slavery-was-outlawed-no-the-guard-said-you-re/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/people-get-used-to-anything-the-less-you-think-about-your-oppression/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) [Explore all 161 Assata Shakur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) [James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/) > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free to be so much more.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Assata Shakur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-has-been-forced-on-me-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-has-been-forced-on-me-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/assata-shakur-2554_adversity_being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-ha_1222078.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression, otherwise I would have been free…” — Assata Shakur", "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": "Assata Shakur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a warrior and being a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-has-been-forced-on-me-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/being-a-warrior-and-being-a-struggler-has-been-forced-on-me-by/#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 } } ] } ```