--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The revolution goes on; a man does not…" description: "\"“The revolution goes on; a man does not make the revolution, not a thousand men, not an army and not a party; the revolution comes from the people as t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/howard-fast-20492_revolution_the-revolution-goes-on-a-man-does-not-ma_2266447.jpg" --- # The revolution goes on; a man does not make the… ![“The revolution goes on; a man does not make the revolution, not a thousand men, not an army and not a party; the revolution comes from the people as they reach toward God, and a little of God is in each person and each will not forget it. This it is the revolution when slaves shake their chains…” quote by Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/howard-fast-20492_revolution_the-revolution-goes-on-a-man-does-not-ma_2266447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/howard-fast-20492_revolution_the-revolution-goes-on-a-man-does-not-ma_2266447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/howard-fast-20492_revolution_the-revolution-goes-on-a-man-does-not-ma_2266447.jpg) > ““The revolution goes on; a man does not make the revolution, not a thousand men, not an army and not a party; the revolution comes from the people as they reach toward God, and a little of God is in each person and each will not forget it. This it is the revolution when slaves shake their chains and the revolution when a strong man bends toward a weaker and says, "Here, comrade, is my arm." The revolution goes on and nothing stops it; but because the people are seeking what is good, not what is wicked or powerful or cruel or rich or venal, but simply what is good--because of that the people flounder and feel along one dark road after another. The people no more all-seeing than their rulers once were; it is in intention that they differ.”” [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Revolution is a continuous, people‑driven process rooted in shared humanity, not a single leader or group. **In simple terms:** People drive ongoing revolutions. Key Takeaway Empower collective action for change. Themes revolution people power spiritual unity Mood hopeful determined Type political philosophical When to use this quote - social movements - community organizing - grassroots activism Key Concepts collective agency ethical purpose Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals sustain revolutionary momentum? - What limits collective action? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook practical challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Revolution Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution-comes-4276068/) [Revolution Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution-goes-4959409/) [Revolution Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution-slaves-5235256/) [Says Comrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-comrade-5235257/) [Strong man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-man/) ## Related quotes > [You can't put down anybody. You can just try and understand. 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Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [True revolution comes from true revulsion; when things get bad enough the kitten will kill the lion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/true-revolution-comes-from-true-revulsion-when-things-get-bad-enough/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“That strong man you mentioned earlier? You’re looking at one. And we not only go after what we want, we plan when the party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-arthur/that-strong-man-you-mentioned-earlier-you-re-looking-at-one-and-we/) [A.C. Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-arthur/) > [A lot of guys have muscles. A lot of strong men in this world. I think it's important to show that even under all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/a-lot-of-guys-have-muscles-a-lot-of-strong-men-in-this-world-i-think/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [“This is, of course, the privilege of love, to bear witness to a strong man’s grief over the little sister he could never save,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-rivers/this-is-of-course-the-privilege-of-love-to-bear-witness-to-a-strong/) [Mary Ann Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-rivers/) > [I am a strong man, I am always looking forward and this is my main thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdoulaye-doucoure/i-am-a-strong-man-i-am-always-looking-forward-and-this-is-my-main/) [Abdoulaye Doucoure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdoulaye-doucoure/) > [“What sort of man could you love for a lifetime?" he asked her. She was silent for a while. He guessed that she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/what-sort-of-man-could-you-love-for-a-lifetime-he-asked-her-she-was/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [Other men puffed, snorted, and splashed. George passed through the ocean with the silent dignity of a torpedo. Other men swallowed water, here a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/other-men-puffed-snorted-and-splashed-george-passed-through-the-ocean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [“All the while my head would be filled with vivid dreams concerning the heroes of my last-read novel, and I would keep picturing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/all-the-while-my-head-would-be-filled-with-vivid-dreams-concerning/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [The strong man holds in a living blend strongly marked opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-strong-man-holds-in-a-living-blend-strongly-marked-opposites/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Howard Fast > [“The easiest way to hide a relationship is not to attempt to hide it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/the-easiest-way-to-hide-a-relationship-is-not-to-attempt-to-hide-it/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [“He found himself grinning at her. His nervousness had disappeared, and suddenly he had a sense of his own size, his physical strength, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/he-found-himself-grinning-at-her-his-nervousness-had-disappeared-and/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [ “Geronimo \[is\]...an example of our practice of destroying those who oppose us and then honoring them.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/geronimo-is-an-example-of-our-practice-of-destroying-those-who-oppose/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [A mountain still in the distance can appear as a molehill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/a-mountain-still-in-the-distance-can-appear-as-a-molehill/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [“Your life is nothing, just a little makeshift that you play with for a while, a machine that you put to use. 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I know you think Spartacus is something more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/there-is-nothing-more-important-than-being-a-man-just-a-plain/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [“Will you keep this?" he asked, holding up the pendant. "Please. Don't show it to your folks. But keep it, please. I'm not asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/will-you-keep-this-he-asked-holding-up-the-pendant-please-don-t-show/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [“Politics, as he occasionally said, required three unchanging talents and no virtues. More politicians, he claimed, had been destroyed by virtue than by any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/politics-as-he-occasionally-said-required-three-unchanging-talents/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [And finally, be assured that Zen asks nothing even as it promises nothing. One can be a Protestant Zen Buddhist, a Catholic Zen Buddhist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/and-finally-be-assured-that-zen-asks-nothing-even-as-it-promises/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) > [“The first rule is never to split your forces unless it is necessary to survival. The second rule is to attack if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/the-first-rule-is-never-to-split-your-forces-unless-it-is-necessary/) [Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) [Explore all 28 Howard Fast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/) ## More Revolution quotes > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-m-byrne/) > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“Patriotism is a fierce love for the nation’s soul - its land, its people, its core, coupled with a burning contempt for a government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/njau-kihia/patriotism-is-a-fierce-love-for-the-nation-s-soul-its-land-its-people/) [Njau Kihia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/njau-kihia/) > [“As morally troubling and politically charged as the issue of inequality has become, it's not likely to cause a populist revolt. Most Americans still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frank/as-morally-troubling-and-politically-charged-as-the-issue-of/) [Robert Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frank/) > [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The plight of the Baha'i community in Iran has served as a backdrop to my life growing up in London, particularly since the Islamic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/the-plight-of-the-baha-i-community-in-iran-has-served-as-a-backdrop/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. 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This it is the revolution when slaves shake their chains and the revolution when a strong man bends toward a weaker and says, \"Here, comrade, is my arm.\" The revolution goes on and nothing stops it; but because the people are seeking what is good, not what is wicked or powerful or cruel or rich or venal, but simply what is good--because of that the people flounder and feel along one dark road after another. 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