--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one who passively endures an injustice…" description: "\"No one who passively endures an injustice against himself has the material in him to struggle for the rights of others. The one who patiently forbears ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/ellen-key-6012_injustice_no-one-who-passively-endures-an-injustic_3112642.png" --- # No one who passively endures an injustice against himself… ![“No one who passively endures an injustice against himself has the material in him to struggle for the rights of others. The one who patiently forbears becomes an accessory to the injustice done to others. He who resists the injustice which he himself meets can open up the way to a higher right for…” quote by Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/ellen-key-6012_injustice_no-one-who-passively-endures-an-injustic_3112642.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/ellen-key-6012_injustice_no-one-who-passively-endures-an-injustic_3112642.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/ellen-key-6012_injustice_no-one-who-passively-endures-an-injustic_3112642.png) > “No one who passively endures an injustice against himself has the material in him to struggle for the rights of others. The one who patiently forbears becomes an accessory to the injustice done to others. He who resists the injustice which he himself meets can open up the way to a higher right for others.” [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passive acceptance of personal injustice weakens the capacity to defend others, while active resistance can inspire broader justice. **In simple terms:** Enduring injustice makes you complicit; resisting can empower others. Key Takeaway Resist personal wrongs to support collective rights. Themes justice activism solidarity Mood determined urgent Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - civil rights activism - workplace discrimination - personal oppression - community organizing Key Concepts ethical responsibility social empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How does personal suffering affect your willingness to help others? - What risks are worth taking to oppose injustice? A Different Perspective Resistance may provoke retaliation or personal risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [“The being who patiently endures injustice, and silently bears insults, will soon become unjust, or unable to discern right from wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-being-who-patiently-endures-injustice-and-silently-bears-insults/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [In the struggle for the rights of the poor in Central America and other places where globalization is bringing its negative effects, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gumbleton/in-the-struggle-for-the-rights-of-the-poor-in-central-america-and/) Thomas Gumbleton > [The last great struggle for our rights; the battle for our own civilization, is entirely with ourselves, and the problem is to be solved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/the-last-great-struggle-for-our-rights-the-battle-for-our-own/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [“I've always believed if you're involved even in a very small struggle - in some sort of infinity in a grain of sand -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nichols/i-ve-always-believed-if-you-re-involved-even-in-a-very-small-struggle/) [John Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nichols/) > [The last struggle for our rights, the battle for our civilization, is entirely with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/the-last-struggle-for-our-rights-the-battle-for-our-civilization-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [A perpetually new and lively world, but a dangerous one, full of tragedy and injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/a-perpetually-new-and-lively-world-but-a-dangerous-one-full-of/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. 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With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [And I've never taken up a sport just because it was a social fad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-shore/and-i-ve-never-taken-up-a-sport-just-because-it-was-a-social-fad/) [Dinah Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-shore/) > [Progress is the injustice each generation commits with regard to its predecessors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/progress-is-the-injustice-each-generation-commits-with-regard-to-its/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“Don't let cycles of violent crimes, uncontrollable, rising cases of bloody impunity, evil puppets in a crippled judiciary, marionettes in a corrupted legislative system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/don-t-let-cycles-of-violent-crimes-uncontrollable-rising-cases-of/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) ## More by Ellen Key > [The art of natural education consists in ignoring the faults of children nine times out of ten, in avoiding immediate interference, which is usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-art-of-natural-education-consists-in-ignoring-the-faults-of/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The present practice is to impress one's own discoveries, opinions and principles on the child by constantly directing his actions. The last thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-present-practice-is-to-impress-one-s-own-discoveries-opinions-and/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/all-philanthropy-is-only-a-savory-fumigation-burning-at-the-mouth-of/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Great love, like great genius, can never be a duty: both are life's gracious gifts to its elect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/great-love-like-great-genius-can-never-be-a-duty-both-are-life-s/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [War can be prevented only by broad-minded statesmanship - a statesmanship that understands how to enlist people's interests in a leading cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/war-can-be-prevented-only-by-broad-minded-statesmanship-a/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [When it comes to the application to life of existing laws and morals, woman, because of her willing receptiveness, her elasticity and adaptability combined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/when-it-comes-to-the-application-to-life-of-existing-laws-and-morals/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The married woman as family provider beside the man, often also in place of the man, but always however subservient to the man's dominion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-married-woman-as-family-provider-beside-the-man-often-also-in/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Socialism and the woman movement are two mighty streams which drag along with them great parts of the firm formations which they touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/socialism-and-the-woman-movement-are-two-mighty-streams-which-drag/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Formerly, a nation that broke the peace, did not trouble to try and prove to the world that it was done solely from higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/formerly-a-nation-that-broke-the-peace-did-not-trouble-to-try-and/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [When, in any ethical department, unity is attained between outer demands and inner desires, between nature and conscience, between the needs of society and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/when-in-any-ethical-department-unity-is-attained-between-outer/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [One day we were brought into the world, knowing love only as being what we had for our toys, family, and friends. Then, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/one-day-we-were-brought-into-the-world-knowing-love-only-as-being/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The genius of happiness is still so rare. To possess it means to approach life with the humility of a beggar, but to treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-genius-of-happiness-is-still-so-rare-to-possess-it-means-to/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [The home was a closed sphere touched only at its edge by the world's evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-home-was-a-closed-sphere-touched-only-at-its-edge-by-the-world-s/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Children must be impressed with the fact that the greatest heroes are those who fight to help others, not those who fight for power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/children-must-be-impressed-with-the-fact-that-the-greatest-heroes-are/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Social motherliness has made women's struggle for liberty the loveliest synthesis of egoism and altruism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/social-motherliness-has-made-women-s-struggle-for-liberty-the/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) [Explore all 100 Ellen Key quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) ## More Injustice quotes > [“Don't let cycles of violent crimes, uncontrollable, rising cases of bloody impunity, evil puppets in a crippled judiciary, marionettes in a corrupted legislative system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/don-t-let-cycles-of-violent-crimes-uncontrollable-rising-cases-of/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. 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Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [And I've never taken up a sport just because it was a social fad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-shore/and-i-ve-never-taken-up-a-sport-just-because-it-was-a-social-fad/) [Dinah Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-shore/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [A perpetually new and lively world, but a dangerous one, full of tragedy and injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/a-perpetually-new-and-lively-world-but-a-dangerous-one-full-of/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [I actually recommend as little actual counting as possible in a life partnership. But, when there's a sense of injustice brewing between you, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/i-actually-recommend-as-little-actual-counting-as-possible-in-a-life/) [Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/) > [I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [In my book I specifically discussed the structural nature of injustice and offered Nine Touchstones of Goddess ethics as an alternative to the Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/in-my-book-i-specifically-discussed-the-structural-nature-of/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) [Browse all 2,138 Injustice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one who passively endures an injustice against himself has the material in him to struggle for the rights of others. The one who patiently forbears becomes an accessory to the injustice done to others. 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