--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the students were killed at Kent…" description: "\"When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I abstained.\" — Holly Near" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg" --- # When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast… ![“When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I abstained.” quote by Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg) > “When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I abstained.” [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker chose not to join a public protest onstage after a tragic incident, highlighting personal restraint amid collective outrage. **In simple terms:** Choosing personal restraint over public protest. Key Takeaway Individual agency can diverge from group pressure. Themes activism ethical decision personal responsibility collective trauma public dissent Mood reflective somber thoughtful Type personal anecdote historical reflection When to use this quote - post‑tragedy campus meetings - political rallies - artist gatherings - media interviews - academic panels Key Concepts civil unrest moral choice group dynamics historical memory Practical Applications - teaching ethics in protest studies - informing activist strategies Questions to Reflect On - When is silence a form of complicity? - How do personal values shape public actions? A Different Perspective Some argue that abstaining can be seen as tacit approval of injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demonstration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demonstration/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [I realize that was becoming a contradiction in terms, especially after my friend Alison Krauss was shot and killed in Kent State in 1970…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/i-realize-that-was-becoming-a-contradiction-in-terms-especially-after/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [I was offered a musical-theater scholarship at Kent State. But I turned it down. I was too into rock 'n' roll to consider another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/i-was-offered-a-musical-theater-scholarship-at-kent-state-but-i/) [Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/) > [I was a student at Kent State University in May of 1970. I was also a musician in a regionally popular band called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-was-a-student-at-kent-state-university-in-may-of-1970-i-was-also-a/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [Those few days after Kent State were among the darkest of my presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/those-few-days-after-kent-state-were-among-the-darkest-of-my/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“But what is in many ways most memorable about Robert Canterbury’s report are the final two items on his list: “Problem Areas and Lessons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-means/but-what-is-in-many-ways-most-memorable-about-robert-canterbury-s/) Howard Means > [I went to Kent State basically to avoid going to Vietnam, I had no idea what I was doing in the world. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mothersbaugh/i-went-to-kent-state-basically-to-avoid-going-to-vietnam-i-had-no/) [Mark Mothersbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mothersbaugh/) > [When National Guardsmen shot four unarmed students at Kent State, virtually the entire system of higher education shuddered and stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/when-national-guardsmen-shot-four-unarmed-students-at-kent-state/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity; it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-world-out-there-is-not-waiting-for-a-new-definition-of/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [But it is impossible to divide a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into fourth powers, or generally any power beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-fermat/but-it-is-impossible-to-divide-a-cube-into-two-cubes-or-a-fourth/) [Pierre de Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-fermat/) > [The only way to meet the modern demon-stration of the powers of darkness is by a demonstration of the power of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-only-way-to-meet-the-modern-demon-stration-of-the-powers-of/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/) Willie Gallacher > [Religion is the fear of God, and its demonstration good works; and faith is the root of both: For without faith we cannot please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/religion-is-the-fear-of-god-and-its-demonstration-good-works-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [The method of not erring is sought by all the world. The logicians profess to guide it, the geometricians alone attain it, and apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-method-of-not-erring-is-sought-by-all-the-world-the-logicians/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-carpenter/i-liked-wrestling-a-lot-better-than-boxing-i-remember-thinking-at/) [Scott Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-carpenter/) > [Every demonstration of God's faithfulness to us is an opportunity for us to testify of Him to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/every-demonstration-of-god-s-faithfulness-to-us-is-an-opportunity-for/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) ## More by Holly Near > [All my life I have gone out on a limb, but I have turned the limb into a bridge, and there is cool, clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/all-my-life-i-have-gone-out-on-a-limb-but-i-have-turned-the-limb-into/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [My creativity and my political work are linked. I don't do this work out of guilt or out of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/my-creativity-and-my-political-work-are-linked-i-don-t-do-this-work/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [You can't just leave out one part; the bread won't rise if the yeast isn't there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/you-can-t-just-leave-out-one-part-the-bread-won-t-rise-if-the-yeast/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [My parents had been involved in the labor movement; if we'd grown up in the city, we would have been red-diaper babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/my-parents-had-been-involved-in-the-labor-movement-if-we-d-grown-up/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Whenever new ideas emerge, songs soon follow, and before long the songs are leading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/whenever-new-ideas-emerge-songs-soon-follow-and-before-long-the-songs/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [A lot of artists say, I'm not political. People are afraid of this word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/a-lot-of-artists-say-i-m-not-political-people-are-afraid-of-this-word/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [In less than a century we experienced great movement. The youth movement! The labor movement! The civil rights movement! The peace movement! The solidarity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/in-less-than-a-century-we-experienced-great-movement-the-youth/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Peace can start with just one heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/peace-can-start-with-just-one-heart/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Music can be used against us as much as it can be used for us. Muzak can put a whole nation to sleep, whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/music-can-be-used-against-us-as-much-as-it-can-be-used-for-us-muzak/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it better when it's not, but I know you don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/i-like-this-life-i-like-it-when-it-s-hard-and-i-like-it-better-when/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/why-do-we-kill-people-who-are-killing-people-to-show-that-killing/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Time has passed through me and become a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/time-has-passed-through-me-and-become-a-song/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Leaping away from my mistakes has propelled me forward. It has great force behind it. It makes for great storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/leaping-away-from-my-mistakes-has-propelled-me-forward-it-has-great/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [White middle- and upper-class men have a longer journey to go than many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/white-middle-and-upper-class-men-have-a-longer-journey-to-go-than/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [When I am willing, all sound is available to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-i-am-willing-all-sound-is-available-to-me/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) [Explore all 51 Holly Near quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) ## More Demonstration quotes > [Every demonstration of God's faithfulness to us is an opportunity for us to testify of Him to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/every-demonstration-of-god-s-faithfulness-to-us-is-an-opportunity-for/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-carpenter/i-liked-wrestling-a-lot-better-than-boxing-i-remember-thinking-at/) [Scott Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-carpenter/) > [The method of not erring is sought by all the world. The logicians profess to guide it, the geometricians alone attain it, and apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-method-of-not-erring-is-sought-by-all-the-world-the-logicians/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Religion is the fear of God, and its demonstration good works; and faith is the root of both: For without faith we cannot please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/religion-is-the-fear-of-god-and-its-demonstration-good-works-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/) Willie Gallacher > [The only way to meet the modern demon-stration of the powers of darkness is by a demonstration of the power of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-only-way-to-meet-the-modern-demon-stration-of-the-powers-of/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [But it is impossible to divide a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into fourth powers, or generally any power beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-fermat/but-it-is-impossible-to-divide-a-cube-into-two-cubes-or-a-fourth/) [Pierre de Fermat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-fermat/) > [The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity; it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-world-out-there-is-not-waiting-for-a-new-definition-of/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [At the start of the second decade of the 21st century, young people all over the world are demonstrating against a variety of issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/at-the-start-of-the-second-decade-of-the-21st-century-young-people/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [The questioning is a stupid formality aimed exclusively at preventing us from speaking at the demonstration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/the-questioning-is-a-stupid-formality-aimed-exclusively-at-preventing/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [He that is to govern a whole Nation , must read in himself, not this, or that particular man; but Mankind; which though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/he-that-is-to-govern-a-whole-nation-must-read-in-himself-not-this-or/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [There is one characteristic of the present direction of public opinion, peculiarly calculated to make it intolerant of any marked demonstration of individuality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/there-is-one-characteristic-of-the-present-direction-of-public/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/israel-should-have-exploited-the-repression-of-the-demonstrations-in/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [ We see it \[the as-yet unseen, probable new planet, Neptune\] as Columbus saw America from the coast of Spain. Its movements have been felt,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-herschel/we-see-it-the-as-yet-unseen-probable-new-planet-neptune-as-columbus/) [William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-herschel/) > [Mathematics is of two kinds, Rigorous and Physical. The former is Narrow: the latter Bold and Broad. To have to stop to formulate rigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-heaviside/mathematics-is-of-two-kinds-rigorous-and-physical-the-former-is/) [Oliver Heaviside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-heaviside/) [Browse all 411 Demonstration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demonstration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I abstained.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Holly Near" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-state-the-cast-voted-to-do-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Demonstration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-state-the-cast-voted-to-do-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/093/holly-near-13172_demonstration_when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-st_32742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I…” — Holly Near", "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": "Holly Near", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the students were killed at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-state-the-cast-voted-to-do-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-state-the-cast-voted-to-do-a/#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 } } ] } ```