--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Violence is not inevitable. I mean, the…" description: "\"Violence is not inevitable. I mean, the only inevitable form of violence is the kind that we understand, the only legitimate (if there can ever be legi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/gloria-steinem-277_defense_violence-is-not-inevitable-i-mean-the-on_2267211.jpg" --- # Violence is not inevitable. I mean, the only inevitable… ![“Violence is not inevitable. I mean, the only inevitable form of violence is the kind that we understand, the only legitimate (if there can ever be legitimate violence) and that's self-defense.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/gloria-steinem-277_defense_violence-is-not-inevitable-i-mean-the-on_2267211.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/gloria-steinem-277_defense_violence-is-not-inevitable-i-mean-the-on_2267211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/gloria-steinem-277_defense_violence-is-not-inevitable-i-mean-the-on_2267211.jpg) > “Violence is not inevitable. I mean, the only inevitable form of violence is the kind that we understand, the only legitimate (if there can ever be legitimate violence) and that's self-defense.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence can be avoided except when self‑defense is necessary, questioning its legitimacy. **In simple terms:** Violence is avoidable except self‑defense. Key Takeaway Seek non‑violent solutions first. Themes peace self‑defense ethics Mood critical thoughtful Type political ethical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal safety - activism Key Concepts political theory feminism Questions to Reflect On - When is force truly justified? - How can societies reduce perceived need for violence? A Different Perspective Self‑defense can be misused as justification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Inevitable Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable-mean-2238389/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Legitimate Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legitimate-violence-3170738/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-defense/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-inevitable-2573694/) [Violence Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-self-2560460/) ## Related quotes > [“Self-defense is a universal exception to the state’s monopoly on legitimate violence. State failure drives the self-defense doctrine through the imminence requirement. Private violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-johnson/self-defense-is-a-universal-exception-to-the-state-s-monopoly-on/) [Nicholas Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-johnson/) > [The strength to kill is not essential for self-defense; one ought to have the strength to die. When a man is fully ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-strength-to-kill-is-not-essential-for-self-defense-one-ought-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I don't even call it violence when it's in self defense; I call it intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-don-t-even-call-it-violence-when-it-s-in-self-defense-i-call-it/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“My family would never approve of me firing a gun. They would say that guns are used for self-defense, if not violence, and therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/my-family-would-never-approve-of-me-firing-a-gun-they-would-say-that/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [You can cry about death and very properly so, your own as well as anybody else's. But it's inevitable, so you'd better grapple with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/you-can-cry-about-death-and-very-properly-so-your-own-as-well-as/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [But does that mean that war and violence are inevitable? I would argue not because we have also evolved this amazingly sophisticated intellect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/but-does-that-mean-that-war-and-violence-are-inevitable-i-would-argue/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Indeed the very word, nonviolence, a negative word, means that it is an effort to abandon the violence that is inevitable in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/indeed-the-very-word-nonviolence-a-negative-word-means-that-it-is-an/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Violence is Inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/violence-is-inevitable/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [When you have large-scale legitimated violence in a place that is divided as profoundly and bitterly as Kentucky was, the legitimate violence can cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/when-you-have-large-scale-legitimated-violence-in-a-place-that-is/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“Keeping a monopoly on legitimate violence is still the proven best way to limit violence and allow reason some asylum where it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ranciere/keeping-a-monopoly-on-legitimate-violence-is-still-the-proven-best/) [Jacques Rancière](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ranciere/) > [“Max Weber, who we met in the previous chapter, provided the most famous and widely accepted definition of the state, identifying it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/max-weber-who-we-met-in-the-previous-chapter-provided-the-most-famous/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [I have come to think of violence as a self-perpetuating mania of the power of the aggressive over those less strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-reichs/i-have-come-to-think-of-violence-as-a-self-perpetuating-mania-of-the/) [Kathy Reichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-reichs/) > [But you learn to smother the living breathing soul, go deaf to it, and this violence to the self is what is commonly called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-o-ceallaigh/but-you-learn-to-smother-the-living-breathing-soul-go-deaf-to-it-and/) [Philip O Ceallaigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-o-ceallaigh/) > [“Don't forget the real business of the war is buying and selling. The murdering and the violence are self-policing, and can be entrusted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/don-t-forget-the-real-business-of-the-war-is-buying-and-selling-the/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [“The main reason that violence correlates with low socioeconomic status today is that the elites and the middle class pursue justice with the legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-main-reason-that-violence-correlates-with-low-socioeconomic/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Defense quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [My last defense / Is the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/witness-for-the-defense-albus-percival-wulfric-brian-dumbledore/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You say I have a bad attitude. But have you ever stopped to check yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-marie/you-say-i-have-a-bad-attitude-but-have-you-ever-stopped-to-check-yours/) [Tasha Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-marie/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) [Browse all 2,426 Defense quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Violence is not inevitable. 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