---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Progress is born of agitation. It is…"
description: "\"Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.\" — Eugene V. Debs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/eugene-v-debs-7814_agitation_progress-is-born-of-agitation-it-is-agit_2933509.jpg"
---

#  Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or…

![“Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.” quote by Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/eugene-v-debs-7814_agitation_progress-is-born-of-agitation-it-is-agit_2933509.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/eugene-v-debs-7814_agitation_progress-is-born-of-agitation-it-is-agit_2933509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/eugene-v-debs-7814_agitation_progress-is-born-of-agitation-it-is-agit_2933509.jpg)

> “Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Progress arises from agitation; without it, stagnation persists.

**In simple terms:** Agitation drives progress, stagnation halts it.

Key Takeaway

Embrace constructive agitation for change.

Themes

social change agitation progress stagnation activism

Mood

determined urgent hopeful

Type

political activist

When to use this quote

- labor movements
- community organizing
- policy reform

Key Concepts

political theory social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What constructive agitation can you initiate?
- How to balance agitation with stability?

A Different Perspective

Agitation can become destructive if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Stagnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stagnation/)

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

> [...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/)

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> [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/)

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

> [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/)

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## More by Eugene V. Debs

> [Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/too-long-have-the-workers-of-the-world-waited-for-some-moses-to-lead/)

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

> [From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet I am Bolshevik, and proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/from-the-crown-of-my-head-to-the-soles-of-my-feet-i-am-bolshevik-and/)

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> [“I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth; I am a citizen of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-have-no-country-to-fight-for-my-country-is-the-earth-i-am-a-citizen/)

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

> [The class which has the power to rob upon a large scale has also the power to control the government and legalize their robbery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/the-class-which-has-the-power-to-rob-upon-a-large-scale-has-also-the/)

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

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

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> [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/)

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