--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When an individual wishes to stand in…" description: "\"When an individual wishes to stand in opposition to authority, he does best to find support for his position from others in his group. The mutual suppo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/stanley-milgram-22480_authority_when-an-individual-wishes-to-stand-in-op_100841.jpg" --- # When an individual wishes to stand in opposition to… ![“When an individual wishes to stand in opposition to authority, he does best to find support for his position from others in his group. The mutual support provided by men for each other is the strongest bulwark we have against the excesses of authority.” quote by Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/stanley-milgram-22480_authority_when-an-individual-wishes-to-stand-in-op_100841.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/stanley-milgram-22480_authority_when-an-individual-wishes-to-stand-in-op_100841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/stanley-milgram-22480_authority_when-an-individual-wishes-to-stand-in-op_100841.jpg) > “When an individual wishes to stand in opposition to authority, he does best to find support for his position from others in his group. The mutual support provided by men for each other is the strongest bulwark we have against the excesses of authority.” [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective solidarity among peers creates a powerful defense against authoritarian overreach. **In simple terms:** Group support protects against abuse of power. Key Takeaway Unity is a shield against tyranny. Themes authority solidarity power dynamics collective action Mood defiant hopeful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - workers organizing for better conditions - students forming a protest group - neighbors forming a watch committee Key Concepts social cohesion resistance Practical Applications - Build mutual aid networks - Encourage peer mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How can groups balance solidarity with critical self‑examination? - When might collective resistance become oppressive? A Different Perspective Strong group cohesion can also suppress dissenting minority voices within the group. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mutual support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-support/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“People will oppose your progress. They will remind you of your past failures, belittle you, etc. The only way to stand against such opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-mashego/people-will-oppose-your-progress-they-will-remind-you-of-your-past/) [D.S. Mashego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-mashego/) > [I do stand in opposition to those who want to implement Sharia and essentially attack the Constitution of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-g-boykin/i-do-stand-in-opposition-to-those-who-want-to-implement-sharia-and/) [William G. Boykin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-g-boykin/) > [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. 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We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/we-teach-girls-to-shrink-themselves-to-make-themselves-smaller-we-say-2/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“Social Security gives concrete expression to widely held and time-honored American commitments. Grounded in values of shared responsibility and concern for all members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cay-johnston/social-security-gives-concrete-expression-to-widely-held-and-time/) [David Cay Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cay-johnston/) > [“You look at us and you see oppression; we see stability and harmony. You see corruption; we see ties of family, friendship, and mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gruber/you-look-at-us-and-you-see-oppression-we-see-stability-and-harmony/) [Michael Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gruber/) > [“Only those burdened with a common affliction understand each other. Thanks to their affliction they constitute a circle and provide each other mutual support.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/only-those-burdened-with-a-common-affliction-understand-each-other/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## More by Stanley Milgram > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/obedience-is-the-psychological-mechanism-that-links-individual-action/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [It may be that we are puppets-puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/it-may-be-that-we-are-puppets-puppets-controlled-by-the-strings-of/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/relatively-few-people-have-the-resources-needed-to-resist-authority/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Each individual possesses a conscience which to a greater or lesser degree serves to restrain the unimpeded flow of impulses destructive to others. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/each-individual-possesses-a-conscience-which-to-a-greater-or-lesser/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [“It has been reliably established that from 1933 to 1945 millions of innocent people were systematically slaughtered on command. Gas chambers were built, death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/it-has-been-reliably-established-that-from-1933-to-1945-millions-of/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [I would say, on the basis of having observe a thousand people in the experiment and having my own intuition shaped and informed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-would-say-on-the-basis-of-having-observe-a-thousand-people-in-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The state produced in the laboratory may be likened to a light doze, compared to the profound slumber induced by the preponent authority system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/the-state-produced-in-the-laboratory-may-be-likened-to-a-light-doze/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The essence in obedience consists in the fact that a person comes to view himself as an instrument for carrying out another person's wishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/the-essence-in-obedience-consists-in-the-fact-that-a-person-comes-to/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/the-disappearance-of-a-sense-of-responsibility-is-the-most-far/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The soldier does not wish to appear a coward, disloyal, or un-American. The situation has been so defined that he can see himself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/the-soldier-does-not-wish-to-appear-a-coward-disloyal-or-un-american/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Although a person acting under authority performs actions that seem to violate standards of conscience, it would not be true to say that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/although-a-person-acting-under-authority-performs-actions-that-seem/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the man dwelling in isolation who is not forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/some-system-of-authority-is-a-requirement-of-all-communal-living-and/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/and-perhaps-our-awareness-is-the-first-step-to-our-liberation/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act, and without pangs of conscience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/a-substantial-proportion-of-people-do-what-they-are-told-to-do/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) [Explore all 27 Stanley Milgram quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. 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