---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People must understand that people were…"
description: "\"People must understand that people were beaten, arrested, jailed, and some people were murdered, while attempting to register to vote, or to get others..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg"
---

#  People must understand that people were beaten, arrested…

![“People must understand that people were beaten, arrested, jailed, and some people were murdered, while attempting to register to vote, or to get others to register to vote.” quote by John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg)

> “People must understand that people were beaten, arrested, jailed, and some people were murdered, while attempting to register to vote, or to get others to register to vote.”

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote highlights the violent repression faced by civil rights activists trying to secure voting rights.

**In simple terms:** Activists were violently attacked while fighting for voting rights.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the cost of fighting for justice.

Themes

civil rights justice activism voting rights sacrifice

Mood

determined somber inspirational

Type

historical motivational

When to use this quote

- voter registration drives
- peaceful protests
- community organizing
- education campaigns

Key Concepts

nonviolent protest systemic oppression civic engagement

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we honor those sacrifices today?
- What can we do to protect voting rights now?

A Different Perspective

The focus on violence may overlook peaceful successes and ongoing challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/) [Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempting/) [Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/) [Beaten Arrested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten-arrested-1876211/) [Jailed People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jailed-people-1876209/) [Murdered Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murdered-attempting-1876210/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-beaten-1515309/) [People Murdered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-murdered-981330/) [Register](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/register/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/)

## Related quotes

> [Fear is a hammer, and when the people are beaten finally to the conviction that their existence hangs by a frayed thread, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/fear-is-a-hammer-and-when-the-people-are-beaten-finally-to-the/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [We live in a country where people still get beaten to death because of their sexual orientation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-krause/we-live-in-a-country-where-people-still-get-beaten-to-death-because/)

[Peter Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-krause/)

> [“When I got home I mixed a stiff one and stood by the open window in the living room and sipped it and listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/when-i-got-home-i-mixed-a-stiff-one-and-stood-by-the-open-window-in/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Companies lose some of their best employees when people are beaten down; then they overpromote junior people because they can't persuade outsiders to sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-grossman/companies-lose-some-of-their-best-employees-when-people-are-beaten/)

[Mindy Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-grossman/)

> [When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the People's Stick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/when-the-people-are-being-beaten-with-a-stick-they-are-not-much/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [Real people are murdered in broad daylight, long hands of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/real-people-are-murdered-in-broad-daylight-long-hands-of-law/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [The same people who are murdered slowly in the mechanized slaughterhouses of work are also arguing, singing, drinking, dancing, making love, holding the streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-vaneigem/the-same-people-who-are-murdered-slowly-in-the-mechanized/)

[Raoul Vaneigem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-vaneigem/)

> [We saw the children and the women with their babies and then I heard the poouff — the flame had broken through the thatched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/we-saw-the-children-and-the-women-with-their-babies-and-then-i-heard/)

[John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/)

> [“The 20th century merits the name "The Century of Murder." 1915 Turks slaughtered 2 million Armenians. 1933 to 1954 the Soviet government encompassed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-hilberg/the-20th-century-merits-the-name-the-century-of-murder-1915-turks/)

[Raul Hilberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-hilberg/)

> [If a man has his throat cut in Paris, it's a murder. If 50,000 people are murdered in the east, it is a question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/if-a-man-has-his-throat-cut-in-paris-it-s-a-murder-if-50-000-people/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [There's people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. People are being given paid leave for killing people. That's not right. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-kaepernick/there-s-people-being-murdered-unjustly-and-not-being-held-accountable/)

[Colin Kaepernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-kaepernick/)

> [People were murdered for the camera; and some photographers and a television camera crew departed without taking a picture in the hope that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/people-were-murdered-for-the-camera-and-some-photographers-and-a/)

[Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/)

> [People should organize people to just turn up and participate in the democratic process. Knock on doors. They may not be old enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/people-should-organize-people-to-just-turn-up-and-participate-in-the/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Every physical system registers information, and just by evolving in time, by doing its thing, it changes that information, transforms that information, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/every-physical-system-registers-information-and-just-by-evolving-in/)

[Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/)

> [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

## More by John Lewis

> [ I happen to believe that this election year \[2016\] is...one of the most important elections that we're going to face in a very long… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-happen-to-believe-that-this-election-year-2016-is-one-of-the-most/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [If you're not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up. You have to take that long hard look and just believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/if-you-re-not-hopeful-and-optimistic-then-you-just-give-up-you-have/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [The reward for playing jazz is playing jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/the-reward-for-playing-jazz-is-playing-jazz/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [I am very, very hopeful about the American South - I believe that we will lead America to what Dr. King called 'the beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-am-very-very-hopeful-about-the-american-south-i-believe-that-we/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [ \[Donald Trump's inauguration\] will be the first one that I miss since I've been in Congress. You cannot be at home with something that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/donald-trump-s-inauguration-will-be-the-first-one-that-i-miss-since-i/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [To question the legitimacy of the next United States president, you know, and you're worried about a tweet that says, hey, why don't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/to-question-the-legitimacy-of-the-next-united-states-president-you/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jails over and over again. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/we-are-tired-of-being-beaten-by-policemen-we-are-tired-of-seeing-our/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [“For me, the nomination of Barack Obama as a candidate for president and his inauguration in Washington represents a brief glimpse at the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/for-me-the-nomination-of-barack-obama-as-a-candidate-for-president/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Too many people struggled, suffered, and died to make it possible for every American to exercise their right to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/too-many-people-struggled-suffered-and-died-to-make-it-possible-for/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [The vote is precious. It's almost sacred, so go out and vote like you never voted before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/the-vote-is-precious-it-s-almost-sacred-so-go-out-and-vote-like-you/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [My position is very, very simple. That I fought too long and too hard against discrimination based on race and color, not to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/my-position-is-very-very-simple-that-i-fought-too-long-and-too-hard/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Many of us in Nashville accepted nonviolence as a way of life, a way of living, not simply as a technique or a tactic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/many-of-us-in-nashville-accepted-nonviolence-as-a-way-of-life-a-way/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Right now, what my job is - pardon me? Those are just words. Right now, what my - my job is right now going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/right-now-what-my-job-is-pardon-me-those-are-just-words-right-now/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [ Donald Trump has made it clear that certainly over the last few years that President \[Barack\] Obama was born in Hawaii. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/donald-trump-has-made-it-clear-that-certainly-over-the-last-few-years/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

[Explore all 258 John Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

## More Arrested quotes

> [Impulse arrested spills over, and the flood is feeling, the flood is passion, the flood is even madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/impulse-arrested-spills-over-and-the-flood-is-feeling-the-flood-is/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [On stage you're free. You can say and do things that if you said and did any place else, you'd be arrested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/on-stage-you-re-free-you-can-say-and-do-things-that-if-you-said-and/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

> [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/)

[Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/)

> [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/)

[Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/)

> [When men are arrested without any legal basis and for political reasons, it's merely a routine, everyday occurrence in Russia, and hardly anyone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/when-men-are-arrested-without-any-legal-basis-and-for-political/)

[Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/)

> [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-gallacher/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [My father was pretty independent. He was - he was arrested once in Nashville when he was on one of his sales trips because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-pretty-independent-he-was-he-was-arrested-once-in/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I was arrested on graduation night for breaking and entering into the high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/i-was-arrested-on-graduation-night-for-breaking-and-entering-into-the/)

[Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/)

> [On my recent trip to the Mexico border, Border Patrol agents in California told me they have arrested the same coyotes 20 times, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/on-my-recent-trip-to-the-mexico-border-border-patrol-agents-in/)

[Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/)

> [You tell people that all the time, 'Jail's the worst place ever and you don't want to go there,' which is true but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/you-tell-people-that-all-the-time-jail-s-the-worst-place-ever-and-you/)

[Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/)

> [“But Daddy, I never knew that's what you expected of me. I mean on the plus side, I've never been arrested or anything..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-smith/but-daddy-i-never-knew-that-s-what-you-expected-of-me-i-mean-on-the/)

[Andrea Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-smith/)

> [There is the possibility to be suddenly arrested for hacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elbakyan/there-is-the-possibility-to-be-suddenly-arrested-for-hacking/)

[Alexandra Elbakyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elbakyan/)

> [“I don’t do drugs, I’ve never been arrested, and from what I hear, I’m not too shabby in bed. Not that any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-don-t-do-drugs-i-ve-never-been-arrested-and-from-what-i-hear-i-m/)

[Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/)

> [ I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years \[from 1965 till 1968\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d-been-an-organizer-so-many/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

[Browse all 480 Arrested quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "People must understand that people were beaten, arrested, jailed, and some people were murdered, while attempting to register to vote, or to get others to register to vote.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/people-must-understand-that-people-were-beaten-arrested-jailed-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrested"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/people-must-understand-that-people-were-beaten-arrested-jailed-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/john-lewis-1310_arrested_people-must-understand-that-people-were_1782632.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People must understand that people were beaten, arrested, jailed, and some people were murdered, while…” — John Lewis",
                "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": "John Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People must understand that people were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/people-must-understand-that-people-were-beaten-arrested-jailed-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/people-must-understand-that-people-were-beaten-arrested-jailed-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
