Acting Quote by Susan Sontag
“Again: there is nothing inherently superior about resistance. All our claims for the righteousness of resistance rest on the rightness of the claim that the resisters are acting in the name of justice. And the justice of the cause does not depend on, and is not enhanced by, the virtue of those who make the assertion. It depends first and last on the truth of a description of a state of affairs that is, truly, unjust and unnecessary.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Imagination of Resistance" in "Regarding the Pain of Others", 2003
Resistance is justified only by the injustice it opposes, not by the moral stature of its supporters.
In simple terms: Resistance matters because of the unjust situation, not the resisters' virtue.
Key Takeaway
Focus on the truth of the injustice.
Themes
justice
resistance
morality
truth
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- activism
- legal reform
- social movements
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
ethical philosophy
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence confirms the injustice?
- How can we ensure resistance is grounded in truth?
A Different Perspective
If the description of injustice is flawed, resistance may be misdirected.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
