---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A revolution is coming – a revolution…"
description: "\"“A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate en..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg"
---

#  A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be…

![“A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability. &#91;Report to the…” quote by Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg)

> ““A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability. \[Report to the United States Senate on his trip to Latin America and the Alliance for Progress, May 9-10 1966\] ””

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

## About This Quote

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

A revolution is inevitable; its nature depends on wisdom, compassion, and luck, but we can shape its character.

**In simple terms:** Revolutions happen; we can guide them.

Key Takeaway

Influence the direction of change with wisdom and compassion.

Themes

social change politics inevitability agency

Mood

optimistic serious

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- Community organizing
- policy reform
- grassroots activism

Key Concepts

History political theory ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you contribute positively to upcoming change?
- What values will guide your actions?

A Different Perspective

Revolution may bring conflict and uncertainty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inevitability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitability/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Latin america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-america/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-which-will-be-peaceful-if-we-are-2/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [The search of the young today is more specific than the ancient search for the Holy Grail. The search of the youth today is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-orville-douglas/the-search-of-the-young-today-is-more-specific-than-the-ancient/)

William Orville Douglas

> [We have become the new american slaves: but there is a revolution coming. It is a revolution of individual liberty. It will free us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/we-have-become-the-new-american-slaves-but-there-is-a-revolution/)

[Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/)

> [“The responsibility of our time is nothing less than a revolution. A revolution that would be peaceful if we are wise enough; humane if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/the-responsibility-of-our-time-is-nothing-less-than-a-revolution-a/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [The Constitutional framers were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. They were quiet men; but they did not shrink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-constitutional-framers-were-peace-men-but-they-preferred/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [We're coming to see the revolution. And the revolution isn't always happy. It's not always pretty. But it's always satisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/we-re-coming-to-see-the-revolution-and-the-revolution-isn-t-always/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [I am against war, against violence, against violent revolution, for peaceful settlement of differences, for nonviolent but nevertheless radical changes. Change is needed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-am-against-war-against-violence-against-violent-revolution-for/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [There is a revolution coming. It will not be like revolutions of the past. It will originate with the individual and with culture . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/there-is-a-revolution-coming-it-will-not-be-like-revolutions-of-the/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [It was with the last revolution and the coming of INGSOC (Inglish/English Socialism) that the latest High learnt how to keep their position permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-with-the-last-revolution-and-the-coming-of-ingsoc-inglish/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garet-garrett/there-are-those-who-still-think-they-are-holding-the-pass-against-a/)

[Garet Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garet-garrett/)

> [Companies in every industry need to assume that a software revolution is coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/companies-in-every-industry-need-to-assume-that-a-software-revolution/)

[Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/)

> [I don't vote and I don't follow who's trying to rule us. The revolution is coming. Until then, I'll just watch 'Game of Thrones.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shaffir/i-don-t-vote-and-i-don-t-follow-who-s-trying-to-rule-us-the/)

[Ari Shaffir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shaffir/)

> [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

## More by Robert F. Kennedy

> [“the President was deciding, for the U.S., the Soviet Union, Turkey, NATO, and really for all mankind….”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/the-president-was-deciding-for-the-u-s-the-soviet-union-turkey-nato/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“First is the danger of futility; the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/first-is-the-danger-of-futility-the-belief-there-is-nothing-one-man/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/few-will-have-the-greatness-to-bend-history-itself-but-each-of-us-can/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“Our goal is not the victory of might but the vindication of right—not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/our-goal-is-not-the-victory-of-might-but-the-vindication-of-right-not/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“Change has it's enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/change-has-it-s-enemies/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“Even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/even-if-we-act-to-erase-material-poverty-there-is-another-greater-2/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/but-we-can-perhaps-remember-if-only-for-a-time-that-those-who-live/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“That was the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis—a confrontation between the two giant atomic nations, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., which brought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/that-was-the-beginning-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-a-confrontation/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“The responsibility of our time is nothing less than a revolution. A revolution that would be peaceful if we are wise enough; humane if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/the-responsibility-of-our-time-is-nothing-less-than-a-revolution-a/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/but-the-greatest-danger-of-all-would-be-to-do-nothing/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“What my father said about businessmen applies to liberals ... They're sons of bitches. The people who are selfish are interested in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/what-my-father-said-about-businessmen-applies-to-liberals-they-re/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“I did not lie awake at night worrying about the problems of Negroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/i-did-not-lie-awake-at-night-worrying-about-the-problems-of-negroes/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization - black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/we-can-move-in-that-direction-as-a-country-in-greater-polarization/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/we-must-admit-the-vanity-of-our-false-distinctions-among-men-and/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

> [“The future will be shaped by those willing to commit their minds and their bodies to the task.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/the-future-will-be-shaped-by-those-willing-to-commit-their-minds-and/)

[Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

[Explore all 17 Robert F. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/)

## More Inevitability quotes

> [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

> [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Thus, for our purposes, genes aren’t about inevitability. Instead they’re about context-dependent tendencies, propensities, potentials, and vulnerabilities. All embedded in the fabric of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/thus-for-our-purposes-genes-aren-t-about-inevitability-instead-they/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [“Part of the apparently conventional nature of our relationships is the threat of separation and death. This body dies. That body dies. We can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-da-samraj/part-of-the-apparently-conventional-nature-of-our-relationships-is/)

[Adi Da Samraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-da-samraj/)

> [There is the extreme of hopelessness and the inevitability of doom, a deep despair that comes from the sense that our industrial, consuming society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/there-is-the-extreme-of-hopelessness-and-the-inevitability-of-doom-a/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [“In that moment I’m able to accept the inevitability of how I feel, though not with joy. I need to talk to someone. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/in-that-moment-i-m-able-to-accept-the-inevitability-of-how-i-feel/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [I think my way of showing violence is unique from that of other filmmakers, in that when I show it, it hurts. It happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeshi-kitano/i-think-my-way-of-showing-violence-is-unique-from-that-of-other/)

[Takeshi Kitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeshi-kitano/)

> [Liberalism, on the other hand, regards life as an adventure in which we must take risks in new situations, in which there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-raphael-cohen/liberalism-on-the-other-hand-regards-life-as-an-adventure-in-which-we/)

[Morris Raphael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-raphael-cohen/)

> [“I'm beginning to feel as though everything has happened before, that our story has already been told. Just as we were powerless to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-humphreys/i-m-beginning-to-feel-as-though-everything-has-happened-before-that/)

[Helen Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-humphreys/)

> [“These things happen. And we say to ourselves, “Never again.” And a hundred years pass. And they happen. Again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qntm/these-things-happen-and-we-say-to-ourselves-never-again-and-a-hundred/)

Qntm

> [Senescence is an inevitability. All we can do is try to strike the balance between graceful acceptance and raging against the dying light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-nemko/senescence-is-an-inevitability-all-we-can-do-is-try-to-strike-the/)

[Marty Nemko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-nemko/)

> [What we, thanks to Jung, call "synchronicity" (coincidence on steroids), Buddhists have long known as "the interpenetration of realities." Whether it's a natural law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-we-thanks-to-jung-call-synchronicity-coincidence-on-steroids/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [My will broke at the sound of his voice, and my head turned with as much inevitability as a sunflower turning its face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/my-will-broke-at-the-sound-of-his-voice-and-my-head-turned-with-as/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“We are so used to the notion of our own inevitability as life’s dominant species that it is hard to grasp that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/we-are-so-used-to-the-notion-of-our-own-inevitability-as-life-s/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

[Browse all 231 Inevitability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough – but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability. [Report to the United States Senate on his trip to Latin America and the Alliance for Progress, May 9-10 1966] ”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert F. Kennedy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-which-will-be-peaceful-if-we-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inevitability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-which-will-be-peaceful-if-we-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/robert-f-kennedy-29776_alliance-for-progres_a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-whic_298535.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A revolution is coming – a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care…” — Robert F. Kennedy",
                "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": "Robert F. Kennedy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“A revolution is coming – a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-which-will-be-peaceful-if-we-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/a-revolution-is-coming-a-revolution-which-will-be-peaceful-if-we-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
