---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indifference is harder to fight than…"
description: "\"Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg"
---

#  Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there…

![“Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.” quote by Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg)

> “Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.”

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

## About This Quote

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

Indifference sustains conflict because it lacks active opposition, while collective acknowledgment of a cause's righteousness can quell unrest.

**In simple terms:** Passive acceptance fuels unrest; shared belief pacifies it.

Key Takeaway

Indifference is a silent enemy.

Themes

social dynamics conflict resolution collective belief psychology of activism political theory

Mood

thoughtful cautious reflective

Type

aphorism political commentary motivational

When to use this quote

- grassroots movements
- political protests
- community organizing
- social justice campaigns

Key Concepts

indifference hostility agitation moral validation

Practical Applications

- mobilizing supporters
- defusing tensions

Questions to Reflect On

- What role does passive consent play in sustaining injustice?
- How can moral consensus be used to de‑escalate conflict?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) [Hostility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostility/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/)

## Related quotes

> [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitationlike having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing-2/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [“the only viable response to religious hostility is love, empathy, compassion, understanding—not more hostility. (What could be more pathetic than a hostile fight against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/the-only-viable-response-to-religious-hostility-is-love-empathy/)

[Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/)

> [The notion that artists flourish upon adversity and misunderstanding, that they are able to function to the utmost in an atmosphere of indifference or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-notion-that-artists-flourish-upon-adversity-and-misunderstanding/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [The result can be quite new - perhaps a tendency to judge that something we've never conceived of is possible, or to feel sympathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-result-can-be-quite-new-perhaps-a-tendency-to-judge-that/)

[Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/)

> [More good things in life are lost by indifference than ever were lost by active hostility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-menzies/more-good-things-in-life-are-lost-by-indifference-than-ever-were-lost/)

[Robert Menzies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-menzies/)

> [To me the Universe was all void of Life, of Purpose, of Volition, even of Hostility; it was one huge, dead, immeasurable Steam-engine, rolling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/to-me-the-universe-was-all-void-of-life-of-purpose-of-volition-even/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Agitation is that part of our intellectual life where vitality results; there ideas are born, breed and bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/agitation-is-that-part-of-our-intellectual-life-where-vitality/)

[George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/)

> [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/)

[Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/)

> [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [“It is unworthy of great spirits to spread abroad the agitation they feel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-unworthy-of-great-spirits-to-spread-abroad-the-agitation-they/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/)

[Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/)

> [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/)

[Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/)

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## More by Crystal Eastman

> [Two business women can 'make a home' together without either one being over-burdened or over-bored. It is because they both know how and both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/two-business-women-can-make-a-home-together-without-either-one-being/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [I took a small flat for myself and the children ... My husband took a room in a clean rooming house within easy walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/i-took-a-small-flat-for-myself-and-the-children-my-husband-took-a/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [What is the problem of women's freedom? It seems to me to be this: how to arrange the world so that women can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/what-is-the-problem-of-women-s-freedom-it-seems-to-me-to-be-this-how/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [I would not have a woman go to Congress merely because she is a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/i-would-not-have-a-woman-go-to-congress-merely-because-she-is-a-woman/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [Public opinion actually applauds the young woman venturing into the business world, but it still obstinately (and quite illogically) protects the young man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/public-opinion-actually-applauds-the-young-woman-venturing-into-the/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [I am not interested in women just because they're women. I am interested, however, in seeing that they are no longer classed with children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/i-am-not-interested-in-women-just-because-they-re-women-i-am/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [Life is a big battle for the complete feminist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/life-is-a-big-battle-for-the-complete-feminist/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [It is not so much that women have a different point of view in politics as that they give a different emphasis. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/it-is-not-so-much-that-women-have-a-different-point-of-view-in/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [The last thing a man becomes progressive about is the activities of his own wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/the-last-thing-a-man-becomes-progressive-about-is-the-activities-of/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [With a generous endowment of motherhood provided by legislation, with all laws against voluntary motherhood and education in its methods repealed, with the feminist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/with-a-generous-endowment-of-motherhood-provided-by-legislation-with/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [No more astounding relic of the subjection of women survives in western civilization than the status of the prostitute… In connection with what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/no-more-astounding-relic-of-the-subjection-of-women-survives-in/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [ \[S\]exual intercourse remains a means or the means of psychologically making a woman inferior. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/s-exual-intercourse-remains-a-means-or-the-means-of-psychologically/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [It is all right for the lion and the lamb to lie down together if they are both asleep, but if one of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/it-is-all-right-for-the-lion-and-the-lamb-to-lie-down-together-if/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [The average man has a carefully cultivated ignorance about household matters - from what to do with the crumbs to the grocer's telephone number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/the-average-man-has-a-carefully-cultivated-ignorance-about-household/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

> [While American men are fighting to rid the old world of autocracy let American women set to and rid the new world of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/while-american-men-are-fighting-to-rid-the-old-world-of-autocracy-let/)

[Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

[Explore all 22 Crystal Eastman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/)

## More Agitation quotes

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/)

[Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/)

> [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/)

[Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/)

> [“It is unworthy of great spirits to spread abroad the agitation they feel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-unworthy-of-great-spirits-to-spread-abroad-the-agitation-they/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/)

[Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/)

> [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [Agitation is that part of our intellectual life where vitality results; there ideas are born, breed and bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/agitation-is-that-part-of-our-intellectual-life-where-vitality/)

[George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/)

> [It is not proper to project our feelings onto things or to attribute our own sensations and passions to them. Can it also be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/it-is-not-proper-to-project-our-feelings-onto-things-or-to-attribute/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Agitation is all about poetry, governance is all about prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/agitation-is-all-about-poetry-governance-is-all-about-prose/)

[Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/)

> [Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/wherever-capitalism-appears-in-pursuit-of-its-mission-of-exploitation/)

[Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/)

> [Patience takes courage. It is not an ideal state of calm. In fact, when we practice patience we will see our agitation far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/patience-takes-courage-it-is-not-an-ideal-state-of-calm-in-fact-when/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Every day I observe more and more the folly of judging of others by ourselves; and I have so much trouble with myself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-day-i-observe-more-and-more-the-folly-of-judging-of-others-by/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Mind without agitation is meditation. Mind in the present moment is meditation. Mind that has no hesitation, no anticipation is meditation. Mind that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/mind-without-agitation-is-meditation-mind-in-the-present-moment-is/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

[Browse all 173 Agitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Crystal Eastman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agitation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/crystal-eastman-25702_agitation_indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hos_8477.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having…” — Crystal Eastman",
                "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": "Crystal Eastman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Indifference is harder to fight than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
