--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But nonviolence was never for the…" description: "\"But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for the oppressed.\" — Nikki Giovanni" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png" --- # But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for… ![“But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for the oppressed.” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png) > “But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for the oppressed.” [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nonviolence is a tool for the marginalized, not for those in power. **In simple terms:** Nonviolence protects the oppressed. Key Takeaway Use nonviolent methods to support the vulnerable. Themes justice peace power dynamics Mood determined hopeful Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - protest movements - community organizing - legal advocacy Key Concepts civil rights ethical strategy social change Questions to Reflect On - How can oppressed groups sustain nonviolent resistance? - What risks do oppressors face when confronting nonviolence? A Different Perspective Nonviolent tactics may be ignored by oppressors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nonviolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolence/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Oppressor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressor/) [Oppressors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressors/) [Peacebuilding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacebuilding/) ## Related quotes > [Take sides. Neutrality always serves the oppressor and never the oppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-sides-neutrality-always-serves-the-oppressor-and-never-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/power-wrongly-used-defeats-the-oppressor-as-well-as-the-oppressed/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/freeman-and-slave-patrician-and-plebeian-lord-and-serf-guild-master-2/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“For the oppressors..to 'be' is to have and to be the class of the "haves".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/for-the-oppressors-to-be-is-to-have-and-to-be-the-class-of-the-haves/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [The laws of changeless justice bind oppressor and oppressed; and, close as sin and suffering joined we march to fate abreast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/the-laws-of-changeless-justice-bind-oppressor-and-oppressed-and-close/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [“Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/freeman-and-slave-patrician-and-plebeian-lord-and-serf-guild-master/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [If one is free at heart, no man-made chains can bind one to servitude, but if one's mind is so manipulated and controlled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/if-one-is-free-at-heart-no-man-made-chains-can-bind-one-to-servitude/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [A liberation movement that is nonviolent sets the oppressor free as well as the oppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-deming/a-liberation-movement-that-is-nonviolent-sets-the-oppressor-free-as/) [Barbara Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-deming/) > [Each and every one of us has the capacity to be an oppressor. I want to encourage each and everyone of us to interrogate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/each-and-every-one-of-us-has-the-capacity-to-be-an-oppressor-i-want/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [The people have now come to realize that the only way to deal with the oppressor is to deal on our own terms and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/the-people-have-now-come-to-realize-that-the-only-way-to-deal-with/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [But it is not really difference the oppressor fears so much as similarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherrie-moraga/but-it-is-not-really-difference-the-oppressor-fears-so-much-as/) [Cherrie Moraga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherrie-moraga/) > [Reality, the oppressor's tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/reality-the-oppressor-s-tongue/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Where is the man, who, if asked to become a slave, would not hurl back the offer indignantly in the teeth of the oppressor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lenox-remond/where-is-the-man-who-if-asked-to-become-a-slave-would-not-hurl-back/) [Charles Lenox Remond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lenox-remond/) > [If you advise someone on the condition that they have to accept it, then you are an oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-you-advise-someone-on-the-condition-that-they-have-to-accept-it/) [Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/) > [Tout re volutionnaire finit en oppresseur ou en he re tique. Every revolutionary ends as an oppressor or a heretic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/tout-re-volutionnaire-finit-en-oppresseur-ou-en-he-re-tique-every/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More by Nikki Giovanni > [ I just think she was a wonderful woman. What I think of when I think of Nina \[Simone\] is someone that I could relate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-just-think-she-was-a-wonderful-woman-what-i-think-of-when-i-think/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/it-s-really-just-interesting-to-ask-why-not-and-see-where-that-takes/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I am ever fascinated by the human experience and by, actually, human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-am-ever-fascinated-by-the-human-experience-and-by-actually-human/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [You do what you can with what you have. You have to work the edges whatever they are. The main thing is keeping your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/you-do-what-you-can-with-what-you-have-you-have-to-work-the-edges/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/mistakes-are-a-fact-of-life-it-is-the-response-to-the-error-that/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I’ve not learned the acceptable way of saying you fascinate me...I’ve not even learned how to say I like you without frightening people away-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-ve-not-learned-the-acceptable-way-of-saying-you-fascinate-me-i-ve/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ever been kidnapped by a poet if i were a poet i'd kidnap you put you in my phrases and meter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/ever-been-kidnapped-by-a-poet-if-i-were-a-poet-i-d-kidnap-you-put-you/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [We love because it's the only true adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-love-because-it-s-the-only-true-adventure/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Young people coming up who are having difficulty with their so-called celebrity need to get back into their lives. It's your life and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/young-people-coming-up-who-are-having-difficulty-with-their-so-called/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ \[To become a poet\] The most important thing is to pay attention. The next would probably be to read; it's so important to pay… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/to-become-a-poet-the-most-important-thing-is-to-pay-attention-the/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [daddy says the world is a drum tight and hard and i told him i’m gonna beat out my own rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/daddy-says-the-world-is-a-drum-tight-and-hard-and-i-told-him-i-m/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [We eat up artists like there's going to be a famine at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-eat-up-artists-like-there-s-going-to-be-a-famine-at-the-end/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Life is a process where people mix and match, fall apart and come back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/life-is-a-process-where-people-mix-and-match-fall-apart-and-come-back/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [The trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans. I say, the trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/the-trip-to-mars-can-only-be-understood-through-black-americans-i-say/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [War is not a jobs program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/war-is-not-a-jobs-program/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) [Explore all 210 Nikki Giovanni quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) ## More Nonviolence quotes > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Nonviolence will empower and equip us to bring generations to the table and fuse our knowledge, gifts, and zeal together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-king/nonviolence-will-empower-and-equip-us-to-bring-generations-to-the/) [Bernice King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-king/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nonviolence-is-a-weapon-of-the-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Nonviolence is the very essence of the gospels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-iswolsky/nonviolence-is-the-very-essence-of-the-gospels/) Helene Iswolsky > [“Gandhi is best remembered for his adherence to the principle of nonviolence; but no less important was his adherence to non-demonization. Even when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-truett-anderson/gandhi-is-best-remembered-for-his-adherence-to-the-principle-of/) [Walter Truett Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-truett-anderson/) > [The Attainment of freedom, whether for a person, a nation or a world, must be in exact proportion to the attainment of nonviolence for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-attainment-of-freedom-whether-for-a-person-a-nation-or-a-world/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Commitment to nonviolence must not be based on patient acquiescence in intolerable conditions. Rather, it stems from a deeper knowledge of the self-defeating, self-corrupting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-t-dellinger/commitment-to-nonviolence-must-not-be-based-on-patient-acquiescence/) [David T. Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-t-dellinger/) > [Every moment of my existence is dedicated to the winning of Swaraj by means of truth and nonviolence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/every-moment-of-my-existence-is-dedicated-to-the-winning-of-swaraj-by/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-consistently-preached-that-nonviolence-demands-that-the-means/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/victory-attained-by-violence-is-tantamount-to-a-defeat-for-it-is/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The first condition of nonviolence is justice all round, in every department of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-first-condition-of-nonviolence-is-justice-all-round-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My nonviolence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving the dear ones unprotected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-nonviolence-does-not-admit-of-running-away-from-danger-and-leaving/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“He has read whole volumes on the philosophy of nonviolence. How peace had to be understood in all its moral dimensions. The proper coexistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-has-read-whole-volumes-on-the-philosophy-of-nonviolence-how-peace/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) [Browse all 639 Nonviolence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for the oppressed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nikki Giovanni" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppressor-it-was-for-the-oppressed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nonviolence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppressor-it-was-for-the-oppressed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/nikki-giovanni-1757_nonviolence_but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppres_1814257.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But nonviolence was never for the oppressor; it was for the oppressed.” — Nikki Giovanni", "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": "Nikki Giovanni", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But nonviolence was never for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppressor-it-was-for-the-oppressed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/but-nonviolence-was-never-for-the-oppressor-it-was-for-the-oppressed/#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 } } ] } ```