---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must meet violence with violence."
description: "\"We must meet violence with violence.\" — Robert F. Williams"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg"
---

#  We must meet violence with violence.

![“We must meet violence with violence.” quote by Robert F. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg)

> “We must meet violence with violence.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Advocates reciprocal force as a response to oppression, suggesting that violent resistance can deter further aggression.

**In simple terms:** Use violence to stop violence.

Key Takeaway

Consider proportional response.

Themes

justice resistance self‑defense

Mood

defiant urgent

Type

political activist

When to use this quote

- protests
- community defense
- political activism

Key Concepts

civil rights ethical dilemma

Questions to Reflect On

- Is retaliation ever justified?
- What non‑violent alternatives exist?

A Different Perspective

Violence can escalate conflict and cause collateral harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/)

## Related quotes

> [Symbolic violence is violence wielded with tacit complicity between its victims and its agents, insofar as both remain unconscious of submitting to or wielding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/symbolic-violence-is-violence-wielded-with-tacit-complicity-between/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [You know, my mom, she's a little older than me. Her history in watching, you know, police violence and violence, period, over the years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-king/you-know-my-mom-she-s-a-little-older-than-me-her-history-in-watching/)

[Rodney King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-king/)

> [“Governments are committed to preserving the myth of their monopoly on violence. Violence belongs to everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/governments-are-committed-to-preserving-the-myth-of-their-monopoly-on/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [Violence is violence. Trauma is trauma. And we are taught to downplay it, even think about it as child's play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarana-burke/violence-is-violence-trauma-is-trauma-and-we-are-taught-to-downplay/)

[Tarana Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarana-burke/)

> [“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said: The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-famously-said-the-ultimate-weakness-of/)

[Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/)

> [ \[Albert Camus\]didn't have much hope that things would work out, but he wanted them to. Algeria had reached such a degree of violence that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-didn-t-have-much-hope-that-things-would-work-out-but-he/)

[Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/)

> [I will not respond to violence with violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovenel-moise/i-will-not-respond-to-violence-with-violence/)

[Jovenel Moise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovenel-moise/)

> [Time does us violence; it is the only violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/time-does-us-violence-it-is-the-only-violence/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [The violence is the violence. I understand that we're sometimes squeamish about it, but I think that strength needs to be called on once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bryk/the-violence-is-the-violence-i-understand-that-we-re-sometimes/)

[Greg Bryk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bryk/)

> [I think, personally, nothing comes from violence other than more violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/i-think-personally-nothing-comes-from-violence-other-than-more/)

[Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/)

> [If you see the blood, then there's an easy association of the violence. The violence that happens when there isn't blood is actually much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/if-you-see-the-blood-then-there-s-an-easy-association-of-the-violence/)

[Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/)

> [Of course we in Europe also have epidemic, structural sexual violence. Violence is always the dark core of dominance. The men who are now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-schwarzer/of-course-we-in-europe-also-have-epidemic-structural-sexual-violence/)

[Alice Schwarzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-schwarzer/)

> [“The TRUTH is...If more men would rise up and speak against domestic violence, there would be less(V.A.W.)Violence Against Women in our world! Why Should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/the-truth-is-if-more-men-would-rise-up-and-speak-against-domestic/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [Beware of those who would use violence, too often it is violence they want and neither truth nor freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/beware-of-those-who-would-use-violence-too-often-it-is-violence-they/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [I never felt any attraction towards violence. I never tried to express myself through violence. Violence is a language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-never-felt-any-attraction-towards-violence-i-never-tried-to-express/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

## More by Robert F. Williams

> [The principle of self defense is an American tradition that began at Lexington and Concord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/the-principle-of-self-defense-is-an-american-tradition-that-began-at/)

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

> [Nowhere inthe annals of history does the record show a people delivered from bondage bypatience alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/nowhere-inthe-annals-of-history-does-the-record-show-a-people/)

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

> [I have asserted the right of Negroes to meet the violence of the Ku Klux Klan by armed self-defense — and have acted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/i-have-asserted-the-right-of-negroes-to-meet-the-violence-of-the-ku/)

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

> [The violence that we had in the 60's was limited. The next time it will be unlimited because the violence in the 60's was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/the-violence-that-we-had-in-the-60-s-was-limited-the-next-time-it/)

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

> [One day the Constitution of Colorado is the highest law of the state. The next day it’s waste paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/one-day-the-constitution-of-colorado-is-the-highest-law-of-the-state/)

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

[Explore all 6 Robert F. Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-williams/)

## More Crime quotes

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/)

[Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/)

[Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/)

> [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/)

[Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/)

> [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/)

[Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/)

> [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/)

Avis Bohlen

[Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We must meet violence with violence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert F. Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/we-must-meet-violence-with-violence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/we-must-meet-violence-with-violence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/robert-f-williams-57517_crime_we-must-meet-violence-with-violence-2814_2814266.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We must meet violence with violence.” — Robert F. Williams",
                "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. Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We must meet violence with violence.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/we-must-meet-violence-with-violence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/we-must-meet-violence-with-violence/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
