--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice…" description: "\"Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice allows us to retain our identity, a sense of meaning, and ultimately our freedom.\" — Chris Hedges" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/chris-hedges-2131_cruelty_battling-evil-cruelty-and-injustice-allo_677596.png" --- # Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice allows us to retain… ![“Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice allows us to retain our identity, a sense of meaning, and ultimately our freedom.” quote by Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/chris-hedges-2131_cruelty_battling-evil-cruelty-and-injustice-allo_677596.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/chris-hedges-2131_cruelty_battling-evil-cruelty-and-injustice-allo_677596.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/chris-hedges-2131_cruelty_battling-evil-cruelty-and-injustice-allo_677596.png) > “Battling evil, cruelty, and injustice allows us to retain our identity, a sense of meaning, and ultimately our freedom.” [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing oppression and injustice helps preserve personal identity, purpose, and ultimately freedom. **In simple terms:** Struggle against cruelty sustains meaning and liberty. Key Takeaway Engage in justice work to protect freedom. Themes justice identity freedom Mood serious motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - human rights work - community organizing Key Concepts moral resilience meaning-making social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What personal costs arise from fighting injustice? - How does meaning emerge from struggle? A Different Perspective Resistance can lead to personal risk and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Battling Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battling-evil-518212/) [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-sense-290528/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Injustice Allows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice-allows-3355797/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Retain Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retain-identity-596972/) [Ultimately Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimately-freedom-3704787/) ## Related quotes > [To an American, that which deprives him of his freedom he regards as injustice, and that which allows him to enjoy that freedom he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ndabaningi-sithole/to-an-american-that-which-deprives-him-of-his-freedom-he-regards-as/) [Ndabaningi Sithole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ndabaningi-sithole/) > [Ultimately, freedom and democracy are stronger than fear and tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gijs-de-vries/ultimately-freedom-and-democracy-are-stronger-than-fear-and-tyranny/) [Gijs de Vries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gijs-de-vries/) > [Ultimately, there is the freedom to take the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/ultimately-there-is-the-freedom-to-take-the-consequences/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You don't have to make something in order to retain your identity as an artist or a writer or a creative person. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/you-don-t-have-to-make-something-in-order-to-retain-your-identity-as/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [If you want to retain your identity and culture, we're a really great mothership. If you want to sell out... there are definitely other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-kotick/if-you-want-to-retain-your-identity-and-culture-we-re-a-really-great/) [Bobby Kotick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-kotick/) > [“I want to retain my own identity. 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In the sense of "he's like me" - more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-ve-realized-that-a-lot-of-people-come-to-me-because-of-what-s/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [“If we get our very identity, our sense of worth, from our political position, then politics is not really about, it is about US.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-get-our-very-identity-our-sense-of-worth-from-our-political/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More by Chris Hedges > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Revolutionists who took part in uprisings in one part of the globe would often migrate to take part in uprisings in another. 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Take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/a-democracy-survives-when-its-citizens-have-access-to-trustworthy-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [It is the cult of self that is killing the United States. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopaths: superficial charm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/it-is-the-cult-of-self-that-is-killing-the-united-states-this-cult/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Our march toward self-annihilation has already obliterated ninety percent of the large fish in the oceans and wiped out half of the mature tropical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/our-march-toward-self-annihilation-has-already-obliterated-ninety/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [No real journalist makes $5 million a year... Those in power fear and dislike real journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/no-real-journalist-makes-5-million-a-year-those-in-power-fear-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Just remember,' a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel told me as he strapped his pistol belt under his arm before we crossed into Kuwait, 'that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/just-remember-a-marine-corps-lieutenant-colonel-told-me-as-he/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Most of these who are thrust into combat soon find it impossible to maintain the mythic perception of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/most-of-these-who-are-thrust-into-combat-soon-find-it-impossible-to/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [The imperial projects will continue, Wall Street will be unimpeded in its malfeasance and criminal activity, social programs will continue to be cut, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-imperial-projects-will-continue-wall-street-will-be-unimpeded-in/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) [Explore all 183 Chris Hedges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) ## More Cruelty quotes > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nature-is-pitiless-she-never-withdraws-her-flowers-her-music-her/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/) [Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/) > [He lacked tenderness; he was rude; and he had more than a streak of cruelty in him; he was a thief and a liar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-lacked-tenderness-he-was-rude-and-he-had-more-than-a-streak-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Regarding lack of vision or disabilities of the organ of sight, it has long been known among researchers that it is the effect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/regarding-lack-of-vision-or-disabilities-of-the-organ-of-sight-it-has/) [Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/) > [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. 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