--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At other times, agents provocateurs are…" description: "\"“At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within resistance groups to instigate or even commit acts of violence in order to supportthr charge tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg" --- # At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within… ![“At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within resistance groups to instigate or even commit acts of violence in order to supportthr charge that the resisters are using violence” quote by Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg) > ““At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within resistance groups to instigate or even commit acts of violence in order to supportthr charge that the resisters are using violence”” [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sharp describes how provocateurs infiltrate resistance groups to commit violence, then blame the movement. **In simple terms:** Agents provocateurs are used to discredit resistance by violent acts. Key Takeaway Beware of infiltration that can misrepresent a cause. Themes politics activism deception Mood cautious inquisitive Type political strategic When to use this quote - political campaigns - social movements - security analysis Key Concepts statecraft psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can groups adopt? - How to distinguish genuine dissent from manipulation? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex internal dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acts of violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-violence/) [Acts Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-violence-425028/) [Agents Provocateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agents-provocateurs-4773957/) [Groups Instigate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups-instigate-4773956/) [Resistance Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance-groups-4773955/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Using Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-violence-689689/) ## Related quotes > [“By the time they're out of preschool, most children have already seen thousands of acts of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/by-the-time-they-re-out-of-preschool-most-children-have-already-seen/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [Let no one consider themselves to be the 'armour' of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/let-no-one-consider-themselves-to-be-the-armour-of-god-while-planning/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Acts of violence that occur simply because of how someone looks are horrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conner-eldridge/acts-of-violence-that-occur-simply-because-of-how-someone-looks-are/) [Conner Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conner-eldridge/) > [The attention of the media is only caught by acts of violence... so I must perform this act of violence against myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-change/the-attention-of-the-media-is-only-caught-by-acts-of-violence-so-i/) [Kathy Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-change/) > [“She was beautiful and radiant. He remembered the concern in her eyes. The same concern drove her now, pushing her toward acts of violence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/she-was-beautiful-and-radiant-he-remembered-the-concern-in-her-eyes/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Despite the countless acts of violence that the two had witnessed, and even participated in, over the years, they were still shocked by what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-reger/despite-the-countless-acts-of-violence-that-the-two-had-witnessed-and/) [Stephen A. Reger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-reger/) > [In Macbeth a lady is restrained from the murder of a king by his resemblance of her father as he slept. Should not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/in-macbeth-a-lady-is-restrained-from-the-murder-of-a-king-by-his/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [“Most people are constantly perpetrating little acts of violence on others, even when they don’t mean to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/most-people-are-constantly-perpetrating-little-acts-of-violence-on/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [“No sane person could witness what they saw every day in the field, or carry out the acts of violence they were tasked with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronie-kendig/no-sane-person-could-witness-what-they-saw-every-day-in-the-field-or/) [Ronie Kendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronie-kendig/) > [“For their most innocent words were acts of violence to which we of the campus were hypersensitive though we endured them not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/for-their-most-innocent-words-were-acts-of-violence-to-which-we-of/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [“It is a weary lament to lay most acts of violence and aggression, from the strictly local to the truly global, squarely at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-sykes/it-is-a-weary-lament-to-lay-most-acts-of-violence-and-aggression-from/) [Bryan Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-sykes/) > [The real danger to the world's resistance movements is the attempt to distort reality and to place the blame on the resistance groups' actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/the-real-danger-to-the-world-s-resistance-movements-is-the-attempt-to/) [Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/) > [The whole history of the 20th century is a history of resistance groups which are either nationalist or, in large parts of the Muslim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-whole-history-of-the-20th-century-is-a-history-of-resistance/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/if-you-succumb-to-the-temptation-of-using-violence-in-the-struggle/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Jihad is not just a way of testing yourself but also means using violence to spread Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassam-tibi/the-jihad-is-not-just-a-way-of-testing-yourself-but-also-means-using/) [Bassam Tibi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassam-tibi/) ## More by Gene Sharp > [There’s one thing that’s been 'learned' maybe from Tunisia and Egypt that I think is a mistake. And that is that the existing ruler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/there-s-one-thing-that-s-been-learned-maybe-from-tunisia-and-egypt/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Nonviolent action involves opposing the opponent's power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/nonviolent-action-involves-opposing-the-opponent-s-power-including/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [“In some cases, however, limited violence against the dictatorship may be inevitable. Frustration and hatred of the regime may explode into violence. Or, certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/in-some-cases-however-limited-violence-against-the-dictatorship-may/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [“Liberation from dictatorships ultimately depends on the people's ability to liberate themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/liberation-from-dictatorships-ultimately-depends-on-the-people-s/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [“Engage in friendly creative communication with the functionaries and troops serving the putschists while continuing resistance. Explain to them the reasons for the defense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/engage-in-friendly-creative-communication-with-the-functionaries-and/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [“The degree of liberty or tyranny in any government is in large degree a reflection of the relative determination of the subjects to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/the-degree-of-liberty-or-tyranny-in-any-government-is-in-large-degree/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Violence by the defenders will be used by the putschists to justify overwhelming repression which they want to use anyhow. It will be used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/violence-by-the-defenders-will-be-used-by-the-putschists-to-justify/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Nonviolent struggle is the most powerful means available to those struggling for freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/nonviolent-struggle-is-the-most-powerful-means-available-to-those/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [The degree of liberty or tyranny in any government is, it follows, in large degree a reflection of the relative determination of the subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/the-degree-of-liberty-or-tyranny-in-any-government-is-it-follows-in/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [“As Charles Stewart Parnell called out during the Irish rent strike campaign in 1879 and 1880: It is no use relying on the Government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/as-charles-stewart-parnell-called-out-during-the-irish-rent-strike/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Dictatorships are never as strong as they think they are, and people are never as weak as they think they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/dictatorships-are-never-as-strong-as-they-think-they-are-and-people/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/by-placing-confidence-in-violent-means-one-has-chosen-the-very-type/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/nonviolent-defiance-often-risks-serious-casualities-but-it-seem-to/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [That is straight out of Gandhi. If people are not afraid of the dictatorship, that dictatorship is in big trouble. … If you fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/that-is-straight-out-of-gandhi-if-people-are-not-afraid-of-the/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [The fall of one regime does not bring in a utopia. Rather, it opens the way for hard work and long efforts to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/the-fall-of-one-regime-does-not-bring-in-a-utopia-rather-it-opens-the/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) [Explore all 34 Gene Sharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) ## More Acts of violence quotes > [There was a man named Robert Dear who in court said he was a warrior for the babies, whose ex-wife talked about his Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/there-was-a-man-named-robert-dear-who-in-court-said-he-was-a-warrior/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [“By the time they're out of preschool, most children have already seen thousands of acts of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/by-the-time-they-re-out-of-preschool-most-children-have-already-seen/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [We would never ask any other faith community to stand up and condemn acts of violence committed by people within their groups. The fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sarsour/we-would-never-ask-any-other-faith-community-to-stand-up-and-condemn/) [Linda Sarsour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sarsour/) > [I learned that victims come in all image - some raped, some witnessing an act of violence, some losing loved ones. I learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/i-learned-that-victims-come-in-all-image-some-raped-some-witnessing/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [I want people around the world to hear me. To all those who would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-people-around-the-world-to-hear-me-to-all-those-who-would-do/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [How do we deal with not just the acts of violence, but the extremist ideology that lies behind them? Because though the numbers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/how-do-we-deal-with-not-just-the-acts-of-violence-but-the-extremist/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Muslim leaders around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/muslim-leaders-around-the-globe-have-to-continue-working-with-us-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The introduction of numbers as coordinates by reference to the particular division scheme of the open one-dimensional continuum is an act of violence whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-by-reference-to-the/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [“He wished he understood where they come from: all the terrorists, religious revolutionists and hate-criminals. Did terrorizing entire communities of people help them sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thisuri-wanniarachchi/he-wished-he-understood-where-they-come-from-all-the-terrorists/) [Thisuri Wanniarachchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thisuri-wanniarachchi/) > [By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/by-the-age-of-18-the-average-american-has-witnessed-200-000-acts-of/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [Of course I tensed up when he touched me. To be with him was to hurt him-inevitably. And that's what I'd felt as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/of-course-i-tensed-up-when-he-touched-me-to-be-with-him-was-to-hurt/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [We have agreed with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cease all acts of violence against the Israelis and against the Palestinians wherever they are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/we-have-agreed-with-prime-minister-ariel-sharon-to-cease-all-acts-of/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [I feel like acts of violence against women are detestable, and they need to be dealt with, and they are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-priestley/i-feel-like-acts-of-violence-against-women-are-detestable-and-they/) [Jason Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-priestley/) > [Another bigger problem is the fact that these incidents of police violence continue to occur because far too often the officers on the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakeem-jeffries/another-bigger-problem-is-the-fact-that-these-incidents-of-police/) [Hakeem Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakeem-jeffries/) > [During the summer of 2009, the debate on health care reform was emotional and intense. At its best, it represented the free exchange of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chellie-pingree/during-the-summer-of-2009-the-debate-on-health-care-reform-was/) [Chellie Pingree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chellie-pingree/) [Browse all 133 Acts of violence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-violence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within resistance groups to instigate or even commit acts of violence in order to supportthr charge that the resisters are using violence”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Sharp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-placed-within-resistance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acts of violence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-placed-within-resistance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/gene-sharp-18306_acts-of-violence_at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-p_2191293.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At other times, agents provocateurs are placed within resistance groups to instigate or even commit acts of…” — Gene Sharp", "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": "Gene Sharp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At other times, agents provocateurs are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-placed-within-resistance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/at-other-times-agents-provocateurs-are-placed-within-resistance/#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 } } ] } ```