--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ignorant mass looks upon the man who…" description: "\"“The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent protest against our social and economic iniquities as upon a wild beast, a cruel, heartless m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg" --- # The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent… ![“The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent protest against our social and economic iniquities as upon a wild beast, a cruel, heartless monster, whose joy it is to destroy life and bathe in blood; or at best, as upon an irresponsible lunatic. Yet nothing is further from the truth. As…” quote by Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg) > ““The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent protest against our social and economic iniquities as upon a wild beast, a cruel, heartless monster, whose joy it is to destroy life and bathe in blood; or at best, as upon an irresponsible lunatic. Yet nothing is further from the truth. As a matter of fact, those who have studied the character and personality of these men, or who have come in close contact with them, are agreed that it is their super-sensitiveness to the wrong and injustice surrounding them which compels them to pay the toll of our social crimes. The most noted writers and poets, discussing the psychology of political offenders, have paid them the highest tribute. Could anyone assume that these men had advised violence, or even approved of the acts? Certainly not. Theirs was the attitude of the social student, of the man who knows that beyond every violent act there is a vital cause.”” [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violent protest is often mischaracterized; underlying sensitivity to injustice drives it, not cruelty. **In simple terms:** Protesters act from deep moral outrage, not desire for blood. Key Takeaway Recognize root causes before judging actions. Themes justice mischaracterization activism Mood critical empathetic Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - legal reform - media analysis Key Concepts psychology of protest social sensitivity Questions to Reflect On - What systemic injustices provoke protest? - How can society address grievances without violence? A Different Perspective Violence may still cause harm despite noble motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Wild beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-beast/) ## Related quotes > [If all ideas have to be bought, then you have an intellectually regressive system that will assure you have a highly knowledgeable elite and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/if-all-ideas-have-to-be-bought-then-you-have-an-intellectually/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [Wherever there is an ignorant mass, you will see a flag of an ignorant leader fluctuating with glory!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/wherever-there-is-an-ignorant-mass-you-will-see-a-flag-of-an-ignorant/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The mystics will tell you death is perfectly safe. A violent act will beget a violent act; it is simply a law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/the-mystics-will-tell-you-death-is-perfectly-safe-a-violent-act-will/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) > [We don't necessarily ever dig into consequences, right? We have the violent act and then cinematically we tend to walk away and we forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kari-skogland/we-don-t-necessarily-ever-dig-into-consequences-right-we-have-the/) [Kari Skogland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kari-skogland/) > [“is a fact known to almost everyone familiar with the Anarchist movement that a great number of acts, for which Anarchists had to suffer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/is-a-fact-known-to-almost-everyone-familiar-with-the-anarchist/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“But a violent act is an epicenter; it shakes everyone within reach and creates other stories, cracks open the earth and reveals buried secrets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-perry/but-a-violent-act-is-an-epicenter-it-shakes-everyone-within-reach-and/) [Sarah Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-perry/) > [If you go out and have unprotected sex with lots of people, that behavior puts you at risk. Similarly, violent behavior can spread. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/if-you-go-out-and-have-unprotected-sex-with-lots-of-people-that/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [To me violence, once you've done one violent act it leads to another, it leads to another, it leads to another, it becomes routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/to-me-violence-once-you-ve-done-one-violent-act-it-leads-to-another/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [“To refrigerate a clock was an extremely violent act, not one I could explain to anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/to-refrigerate-a-clock-was-an-extremely-violent-act-not-one-i-could/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I cannot believe that violence depicted onscreen actually causes people to act out violently. That's oversimplifying the issue. If somebody commits a violent act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-chan-wook/i-cannot-believe-that-violence-depicted-onscreen-actually-causes/) [Park Chan-wook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-chan-wook/) > [ You can't blame a victim for being under the influence when there is a violent act \[happening to them\]. These are two separate things. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-shenk/you-can-t-blame-a-victim-for-being-under-the-influence-when-there-is/) [Jon Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-shenk/) > [Meditation is a violent act of separation from mass consciousness and direct access to power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/meditation-is-a-violent-act-of-separation-from-mass-consciousness-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“It is the violent act that makes history and changes everything that came before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/it-is-the-violent-act-that-makes-history-and-changes-everything-that/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [If a violent act towards a woman takes place, and the inspiration for that act is violence in cinema, the inspiration for that act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-king/if-a-violent-act-towards-a-woman-takes-place-and-the-inspiration-for/) [Richard King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-king/) > [Society had grown cruel. People who felt they were unwanted or unwelcome in their own country, reacted with aggression. There was no such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/society-had-grown-cruel-people-who-felt-they-were-unwanted-or/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) ## More by Emma Goldman > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Lack of fairness to an opponent is essentially a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/lack-of-fairness-to-an-opponent-is-essentially-a-sign-of-weakness/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice-2/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Only when human sorrows are turned into a toy with glaring colors will baby people become interested - for a while at least. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/only-when-human-sorrows-are-turned-into-a-toy-with-glaring-colors/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [More pernicious than the power of a dictator is that of a class; the most terrible - the tyranny of a majority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/more-pernicious-than-the-power-of-a-dictator-is-that-of-a-class-the/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Love, the strongest and deepest element in all life, the harbinger of hope, of joy, of ecstasy; love, the definer of all laws, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/love-the-strongest-and-deepest-element-in-all-life-the-harbinger-of/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Whether our reformers admit it or not, the economic and social inferiority of women is responsible for prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/whether-our-reformers-admit-it-or-not-the-economic-and-social/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is the greatest and only safety in a sane society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-free-expression-of-the-hopes-and-aspirations-of-a-people-is-the/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Someone has said that it requires less mental effort to condemn than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/someone-has-said-that-it-requires-less-mental-effort-to-condemn-than/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The persecution of the innovator and protestant has always been inspired by fear on the part of constituted authority of having its infallibility questioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-persecution-of-the-innovator-and-protestant-has-always-been/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Order derived through submission and maintained by terror is not much of a safe guaranty; yet that is the only "order" that governments have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/order-derived-through-submission-and-maintained-by-terror-is-not-much/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Today is the parent of tomorrow. The present casts its shadow far into the future. That is the law of life, individual and social.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/today-is-the-parent-of-tomorrow-the-present-casts-its-shadow-far-into/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Salvation lies in an energetic march onward towards a brighter and clearer future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/salvation-lies-in-an-energetic-march-onward-towards-a-brighter-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The more hideous the mental contortions, the greater the delight and bravos of the mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-more-hideous-the-mental-contortions-the-greater-the-delight-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) [Explore all 368 Emma Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent protest against our social and economic iniquities as upon a wild beast, a cruel, heartless monster, whose joy it is to destroy life and bathe in blood; or at best, as upon an irresponsible lunatic. Yet nothing is further from the truth. As a matter of fact, those who have studied the character and personality of these men, or who have come in close contact with them, are agreed that it is their super-sensitiveness to the wrong and injustice surrounding them which compels them to pay the toll of our social crimes. The most noted writers and poets, discussing the psychology of political offenders, have paid them the highest tribute. Could anyone assume that these men had advised violence, or even approved of the acts? Certainly not. Theirs was the attitude of the social student, of the man who knows that beyond every violent act there is a vital cause.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emma Goldman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who-makes-a-violent-protest/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who-makes-a-violent-protest/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/emma-goldman-774_life_the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who_983555.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ignorant mass looks upon the man who makes a violent protest against our social and economic iniquities…” — Emma Goldman", "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": "Emma Goldman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The ignorant mass looks upon the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who-makes-a-violent-protest/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/the-ignorant-mass-looks-upon-the-man-who-makes-a-violent-protest/#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 } } ] } ```