--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not a conclusive proof of a…" description: "\"“It is not a conclusive proof of a doctrine’s correctness that its adversaries use the police, the hangman, and violent mobs to fight it. But it is a p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf8/ludwig-von-mises-364_adversaries_it-is-not-a-conclusive-proof-of-a-doctri_436847.png" --- # It is not a conclusive proof of a doctrine’s correctness… ![“It is not a conclusive proof of a doctrine’s correctness that its adversaries use the police, the hangman, and violent mobs to fight it. But it is a proof of the fact that those taking recourse to violent oppression are in their subconsciousness convinced of the untenability of their own doctrines” quote by Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf8/ludwig-von-mises-364_adversaries_it-is-not-a-conclusive-proof-of-a-doctri_436847.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf8/ludwig-von-mises-364_adversaries_it-is-not-a-conclusive-proof-of-a-doctri_436847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf8/ludwig-von-mises-364_adversaries_it-is-not-a-conclusive-proof-of-a-doctri_436847.png) > ““It is not a conclusive proof of a doctrine’s correctness that its adversaries use the police, the hangman, and violent mobs to fight it. But it is a proof of the fact that those taking recourse to violent oppression are in their subconsciousness convinced of the untenability of their own doctrines”” [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violent suppression of ideas signals the oppressor’s lack of confidence in their own doctrine. **In simple terms:** Oppression reveals weak arguments. Key Takeaway Recognize oppression as a sign of flawed ideas. Themes freedom of speech political violence intellectual honesty dogmatism Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - academic debate - policy critique - civil rights activism - media analysis Key Concepts philosophy of law political theory psychology of belief Questions to Reflect On - What does reliance on force reveal about a belief system? - How can societies protect ideas without resorting to violence? A Different Perspective Violent tactics can also stem from fear, not just doctrinal weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversaries/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Subconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) ## Related quotes > [“If one prevents a man from working for the good of society while at the same time providing for the satisfaction of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-one-prevents-a-man-from-working-for-the-good-of-society-while-at/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Let us recognize that we can no longer tolerate violent oppression of women in the name of religion and culture any more than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/let-us-recognize-that-we-can-no-longer-tolerate-violent-oppression-of/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [Government and state can never be perfect because they owe their raison d'être to the imperfection of man and can attain their end, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/government-and-state-can-never-be-perfect-because-they-owe-their/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [To obtain salvation we must tremble at the thought of being lost, and tremble not so much at the thought of hell, as of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-liguori/to-obtain-salvation-we-must-tremble-at-the-thought-of-being-lost-and/) [Alphonsus Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonsus-liguori/) > [ \[Mathematics\] unceasingly calls forth the faculties of observation and comparison; one of its principal weapons is induction: it has frequent recourse to trial and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joseph-sylvester/mathematics-unceasingly-calls-forth-the-faculties-of-observation-and/) [James Joseph Sylvester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joseph-sylvester/) > [Che Guevara taught us we could dare to have confidence in ourselves, confidence in our abilities. 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Mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/oh-mary-star-of-the-sea-once-again-we-recourse-to-thee-to-find-refuge/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Ludwig von Mises > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. 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Everything is decided by the interpretation and explanation of the facts, by the ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/facts-per-se-can-neither-prove-nor-refute-anything-everything-is/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) [Explore all 637 Ludwig von Mises quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## More Adversaries quotes > [In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-all-matters-of-opinion-our-adversaries-are-insane/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Inanimate objects are sometimes parties to litigation. A ship has a legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/inanimate-objects-are-sometimes-parties-to-litigation-a-ship-has-a/) [William O. 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