--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can say unequivocally that the boycott…" description: "\"I can say unequivocally that the boycott does not work. It's never complete enough to have impact unless it's backed by force, and I don't think anybod..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/helen-suzman-24413_america_i-can-say-unequivocally-that-the-boycott_2678426.jpg" --- # I can say unequivocally that the boycott does not work… ![“I can say unequivocally that the boycott does not work. It's never complete enough to have impact unless it's backed by force, and I don't think anybody in America seriously proposes that.” quote by Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/helen-suzman-24413_america_i-can-say-unequivocally-that-the-boycott_2678426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/helen-suzman-24413_america_i-can-say-unequivocally-that-the-boycott_2678426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/helen-suzman-24413_america_i-can-say-unequivocally-that-the-boycott_2678426.jpg) > “I can say unequivocally that the boycott does not work. It's never complete enough to have impact unless it's backed by force, and I don't think anybody in America seriously proposes that.” [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boycotts only succeed when they are total and backed by force; partial boycotts lack impact. **In simple terms:** Boycotts need full participation and power to be effective. Key Takeaway Ensure any boycott is comprehensive and supported. Themes politics activism strategy Mood skeptical critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - labor strikes - consumer boycotts - political protests - civil rights campaigns Key Concepts social movements power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Can a boycott succeed without force? - What alternatives exist to forceful pressure? A Different Perspective Partial boycotts may be symbolic but rarely achieve goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-seriously-2361492/) [Anybody America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody-america-2095905/) [Boycott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boycott/) [Boycott Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boycott-does-2560929/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [Unequivocally Boycott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unequivocally-boycott-2560930/) ## Related quotes > [We say that if America has entered the war to make the world safe for democracy, she must first make democracy safe in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/we-say-that-if-america-has-entered-the-war-to-make-the-world-safe-for-2/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“Asking a question whose echo has been heard each time America went to war since, Goldman said, “How else is the world to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgrath-morris/asking-a-question-whose-echo-has-been-heard-each-time-america-went-to/) [James McGrath Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgrath-morris/) > [I believe I'm a better authority than anybody else in America on my own wife. I have never known a person with a stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-believe-i-m-a-better-authority-than-anybody-else-in-america-on-my/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I think the rest of the world would like to tell us how to manage our own environment. And I think that anybody in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-haley/i-think-the-rest-of-the-world-would-like-to-tell-us-how-to-manage-our/) [Nikki Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-haley/) > [You just have to come to grips with the fact that people don't like to be invaded or bombed by anybody. And America has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/you-just-have-to-come-to-grips-with-the-fact-that-people-don-t-like/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [“It's the worst thing that ever happened to anybody in America!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-bouvier-beale/it-s-the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-anybody-in-america/) [Edith Bouvier Beale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-bouvier-beale/) > [I don't think anybody in America ought to be scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/i-don-t-think-anybody-in-america-ought-to-be-scared/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [I don't think there's anybody in America who thinks my personality is best suited to being Number Two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-don-t-think-there-s-anybody-in-america-who-thinks-my-personality-is/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [You aren't really anybody in America if you're not on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/you-aren-t-really-anybody-in-america-if-you-re-not-on-tv/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [Well, I certainly hope the Democrats participate. I continue to think that some things transcend politics like the murder of four of our fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/well-i-certainly-hope-the-democrats-participate-i-continue-to-think/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [If you want to boycott Israel because of Palestine, I don't think you actually care, because you're also boycotting 2 million Muslim Palestinian Israelis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuseir-yassin/if-you-want-to-boycott-israel-because-of-palestine-i-don-t-think-you/) [Nuseir Yassin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuseir-yassin/) > [When I was teaching at an institution that bent over backward for foreign students, I was asked in class one day: "What is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/when-i-was-teaching-at-an-institution-that-bent-over-backward-for/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We shall strike. We shall organize boycotts. We shall demonstrate and have political campaigns. We shall pursue the revolution we have proposed. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-shall-strike-we-shall-organize-boycotts-we-shall-demonstrate-and/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“. Despite the considerable horror they had felt when the SA men were bellowing crude anti-Semitic slogans, in retrospect the joke-tellers were very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-herzog/despite-the-considerable-horror-they-had-felt-when-the-sa-men-were/) [Rudolph Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-herzog/) ## More by Helen Suzman > [That's my life in there. It would never be possible today to ask as many questions as I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/that-s-my-life-in-there-it-would-never-be-possible-today-to-ask-as/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [Tool of Communist agitators... it's really a joke, isn't it? Because, quite clearly, we are a party of real moderates. It just shows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/tool-of-communist-agitators-it-s-really-a-joke-isn-t-it-because-quite/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [My own electorate, which I represented for 36 years as an anti-apartheid politician, had a considerable number of Jewish voters supporting me throughout my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/my-own-electorate-which-i-represented-for-36-years-as-an-anti/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [All these stories are grist to the mill of the government because they build up a very useful war psychosis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/all-these-stories-are-grist-to-the-mill-of-the-government-because/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [Sometimes I manage to get conditions alleviated, often not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/sometimes-i-manage-to-get-conditions-alleviated-often-not/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [It is the answers, not the questions, that are embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/it-is-the-answers-not-the-questions-that-are-embarrassing/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [I don't think we will ever go the way of Zimbabwe, but people are concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/i-don-t-think-we-will-ever-go-the-way-of-zimbabwe-but-people-are/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [When you teach, you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/when-you-teach-you-learn/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [Debate is almost non-existent and no one is apparently accountable to anybody apart from their political party bosses. It is bad news for democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/debate-is-almost-non-existent-and-no-one-is-apparently-accountable-to/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [Perhaps the one comforting thought I got out of this whole disgusting affair was that over the years when the government was tapping my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/perhaps-the-one-comforting-thought-i-got-out-of-this-whole-disgusting/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [It is not my questions that embarrass South Africa – it is your answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/it-is-not-my-questions-that-embarrass-south-africa-it-is-your-answers/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [The immediate present belongs to the extremists, but the future belongs to the moderates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/the-immediate-present-belongs-to-the-extremists-but-the-future/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [It is increasingly hard for young white people to find jobs, and I can understand why white parents are worried about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/it-is-increasingly-hard-for-young-white-people-to-find-jobs-and-i-can/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [This country is armed to the teeth, and none of these African states could begin to attack South Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/this-country-is-armed-to-the-teeth-and-none-of-these-african-states/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [For all my criticisms of the current system, it doesn't mean that I would like to return to the old one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/for-all-my-criticisms-of-the-current-system-it-doesn-t-mean-that-i/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) [Explore all 24 Helen Suzman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [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/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can say unequivocally that the boycott does not work. 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