--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Martyrs do not underrate the body, they…" description: "\"Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.\" — Franz Kafka" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg" --- # Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be… ![“Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.” quote by Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg) > “Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.” [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Martyrs accept bodily suffering as a means to transcendence, aligning themselves with their oppressors through shared sacrifice. **In simple terms:** Self‑sacrifice as unity with adversaries. Key Takeaway Suffering can bridge opposing forces. Themes sacrifice transcendence identity conflict spirituality Mood solemn reflective introspective Type philosophical spiritual poetic When to use this quote - religious rituals - political protest - personal crisis - war trauma Key Concepts martyrdom body‑mind dualism opposition elevation Practical Applications - theological reflection - psychological resilience training Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to find common ground through pain? - Can suffering truly equalize power dynamics? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross/) [Elevated Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elevated-cross-836516/) [Martyr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyr/) [Martyrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrs/) [Martyrs Underrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrs-underrate-836515/) [Underrate Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underrate-body-836517/) ## Related quotes > [All of us have a secret desire to be seen as saints, heroes, martyrs. We are afraid to be children, to be ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/all-of-us-have-a-secret-desire-to-be-seen-as-saints-heroes-martyrs-we/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [History is changed by martyrs who tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/history-is-changed-by-martyrs-who-tell-the-truth/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [When we read, we fancy we could be martyrs; when we come to act, we cannot bear a provoking word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/when-we-read-we-fancy-we-could-be-martyrs-when-we-come-to-act-we/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [My blood is no different from that of other martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mir-hossein-mousavi/my-blood-is-no-different-from-that-of-other-martyrs/) [Mir-Hossein Mousavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mir-hossein-mousavi/) > [The people who have really made history are the martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-people-who-have-really-made-history-are-the-martyrs/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [It is so little true that martyrs offer any support to the truth of a cause that I am inclined to deny that any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-so-little-true-that-martyrs-offer-any-support-to-the-truth-of-a/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [For some not to be martyrs is martyrdom indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/for-some-not-to-be-martyrs-is-martyrdom-indeed/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Through all history, from the beginning, a noble army of martyrs have fought fiercely and fallen bravely for that unseen mistress, their country. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-curtis/through-all-history-from-the-beginning-a-noble-army-of-martyrs-have/) [George William Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-curtis/) > [“We must all make the mental leap from the pious histories we have read in the martyrologies to the reality of living flesh and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-o-brien/we-must-all-make-the-mental-leap-from-the-pious-histories-we-have/) [Michael D. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-o-brien/) > [Those who die for their country are martyrs and those who live for their country are greater martyrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagat-puran-singh/those-who-die-for-their-country-are-martyrs-and-those-who-live-for/) [Bhagat Puran Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagat-puran-singh/) > [The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/the-blood-of-the-martyrs-is-the-seed-of-the-church/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Twenty-two martyrs were recognized, but there were many more, and not only Catholics. There were also Anglicans and some Mohammedans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/twenty-two-martyrs-were-recognized-but-there-were-many-more-and-not/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [ There are martyrs \[between Mexican people\], now I will canonize two. It is a population that you can't explain, you can't explain it because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-are-martyrs-between-mexican-people-now-i-will-canonize-two-it/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [In the long, fierce struggle for freedom of opinion, the press, like the Church, counted its martyrs by thousands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/in-the-long-fierce-struggle-for-freedom-of-opinion-the-press-like-the/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Prison, blood, death, create enthusiasts and martyrs, and bring forth courage and desperate resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/prison-blood-death-create-enthusiasts-and-martyrs-and-bring-forth/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## More by Franz Kafka > [ “The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how \[to\] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-head-but-how-to-free-myself-and/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [What I write is different from what I say, what I say is different from what I think, what I think is different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/what-i-write-is-different-from-what-i-say-what-i-say-is-different/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Ali svi se slažu u tome da se ne podižu lakomislene optužbe i da se sud, kad jedanput nekog optuži i kad je uvjeren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/ali-svi-se-sla-u-u-tome-da-se-ne-podi-u-lakomislene-optu-be-i-da-se/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [My job is unbearable to me because it conflicts with my only desire and my only calling, which is literature. Since I am nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/my-job-is-unbearable-to-me-because-it-conflicts-with-my-only-desire/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Faith, like a guillotine. As heavy, as light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/faith-like-a-guillotine-as-heavy-as-light/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [You need not even listen, just wait...the world will offer itself freely to you, unmasking itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/you-need-not-even-listen-just-wait-the-world-will-offer-itself-freely/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“I will cross hundreds of seas and oceans without sinking to reach you, see your eyes and sink completely into their depths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-will-cross-hundreds-of-seas-and-oceans-without-sinking-to-reach-you/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I have no memory for things I have learned, nor things I have read, nor things experienced or heard, neither for people nor events;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-have-no-memory-for-things-i-have-learned-nor-things-i-have-read-nor/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“This sounds crazy, but it is so. Nor is it perhaps really love when I say that for me you are the most beloved;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/this-sounds-crazy-but-it-is-so-nor-is-it-perhaps-really-love-when-i/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The more horses you yoke the quicker everything will go - not the rending of the block from its foundation, which is impossible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-more-horses-you-yoke-the-quicker-everything-will-go-not-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The true way goes over a line that, rather than spanning heights, is hardly above the ground. It appears more decidedly to make one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-true-way-goes-over-a-line-that-rather-than-spanning-heights-is/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Every new discovery is assumed at once into the sum total of knowledge, and with that ceases in a sense to be a discovery;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/every-new-discovery-is-assumed-at-once-into-the-sum-total-of/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Sou de pedra. Sou a minha própria pedra tumular, sem nenhum interstício para a dúvida ou para a fé, para o amor ou para…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/sou-de-pedra-sou-a-minha-pr-pria-pedra-tumular-sem-nenhum-interst-cio/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Last night I dreamed about you. What happened in detail I can hardly remember, all I know is that we kept merging into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/last-night-i-dreamed-about-you-what-happened-in-detail-i-can-hardly/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) [Explore all 741 Franz Kafka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Franz Kafka" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/499/franz-kafka-214_body_martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-a_61636.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with…” — Franz Kafka", "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": "Franz Kafka", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Martyrs do not underrate the body,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/#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 } } ] } ```