Nonviolent Quote by Gene Sharp
““Nonviolent defiance often risks serious casualities, but it seem to produce far fewer casualitie than when both sides use violence. At the same time, presistence in nonviolent struggle contributes to much greater chance for success than if the resisters had chosen to fight a militarily-prepared opponent violence””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1971
Nonviolent resistance, though risky, yields fewer casualties and higher success odds than violent conflict.
In simple terms: Nonviolence is strategically superior.
Key Takeaway
Choose nonviolent methods for lasting change.
Themes
politics
conflict
ethics
Mood
serious
hopeful
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- protests
- social movements
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
civil resistance
strategic theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What nonviolent tactics are most effective?
- How to sustain morale under oppression?
A Different Perspective
May face severe repression.
![“Nonviolence seeks to ‘win’ not by destroying or even by humiliating the adversary, but by convincing [the adversary] that there is a higher and more certain common good than can be attained by bombs and blood. Nonviolence, ideally speaking, does not try to overcome the adversary by winning over…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c1/thomas-merton-231_adversaries_nonviolence-seeks-to-win-not-by-destroyi_1276480.jpg)
![“[I]t must be emphasized that nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards; it does resist. If one uses this method because he is afraid or merely because he lacks the instruments of violence, he is not truly nonviolent. This is why Gandhi often said that if cowardice is the only alternative…” quote by Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/74a/martin-luther-king-jr-127_alternatives_i-t-must-be-emphasized-that-nonviolent-r_2830581.jpg)
