--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Needless to say, they refused to submit…" description: "\"Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the Romans gave up hope of conquering Scotland, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg" --- # Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire… ![“Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the Romans gave up hope of conquering Scotland, and the Wee Free Men remained both wee and free.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg) > “Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the Romans gave up hope of conquering Scotland, and the Wee Free Men remained both wee and free.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A small, determined group can resist a far larger power through relentless, unconventional tactics, ultimately preserving their freedom. **In simple terms:** Small resistance can defeat big oppressors. Key Takeaway Persist and stay unconventional. Themes resistance freedom determination Mood defiant hopeful tenacious Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - activist movements - community defense - underground resistance - colonial struggles Key Concepts guerrilla warfare political autonomy grassroots power Questions to Reflect On - What tactics can modern movements learn from? - How does humor aid resistance? A Different Perspective Even persistent resistance may be crushed without broader support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conducting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conducting/) [Conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquer/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Gave up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-up/) [Guerrilla War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guerrilla-war-389900/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Persistent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistent/) [Refused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refused/) [Romans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romans/) [Romans Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romans-gave-608452/) [Scotland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scotland/) [Submit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/submit/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Romans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-romans-608451/) ## Related quotes > [“The Romans gave them Roman names, and let them be; but the Christians refuse to believe in them, and their priests berate the poorer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stewart/the-romans-gave-them-roman-names-and-let-them-be-but-the-christians/) [Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stewart/) > [The United States can certainly defeat North Vietnam, but the United States cannot defeat a guerrilla war which is being raged from a sanctuary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-united-states-can-certainly-defeat-north-vietnam-but-the-united/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [ \[Francisco Franco\] said they should resort to guerrilla war. Which has a history in Spain. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/francisco-franco-said-they-should-resort-to-guerrilla-war-which-has-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Vietnam presumably taught us that the United States could not serve as the world's policeman; it should also have taught us the dangers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/vietnam-presumably-taught-us-that-the-united-states-could-not-serve/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [“A revolutionary war is never confined within the bounds of military action. 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Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [Was Castro sincere when, during his guerrilla war, he swore that he was not a Communist? If so, when did he change, and why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/was-castro-sincere-when-during-his-guerrilla-war-he-swore-that-he-was/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [What bin Laden had hoped to achieve in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 period, which was to drag the United States into a protracted guerrilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/what-bin-laden-had-hoped-to-achieve-in-afghanistan-in-the-post-9-11/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Guerrilla war is a test of wills. Obama's actual objectives - rollback in Iraq, containment in Syria - are not unreasonable. But they require…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/guerrilla-war-is-a-test-of-wills-obama-s-actual-objectives-rollback/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-fought-a-military-war-our-opponents-fought-a-political-one-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For more than a decade, the United States had been giving large-scale military aid to the French colonialists, and then to the American-installed but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-s-greenberg/for-more-than-a-decade-the-united-states-had-been-giving-large-scale/) [Edward S. 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Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 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I assumed that would be my career for a long time. I always wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robert-brown/i-am-a-muso-and-i-love-doing-it-i-assumed-that-would-be-my-career-for/) [Jason Robert Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robert-brown/) > [At the time when I was conducting my research there was no known method for taking the guinea pig's temperature. I demonstrated a technique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jules-henry-nicole/at-the-time-when-i-was-conducting-my-research-there-was-no-known/) [Charles Jules Henry Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jules-henry-nicole/) > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [The actor is concerned with his own bit of it, but the director's somehow trying to work the whole thing into a much bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-joffe/the-actor-is-concerned-with-his-own-bit-of-it-but-the-director-s/) [Roland Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-joffe/) > [I started conducting lessons and I realized that this is actually something I like doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/i-started-conducting-lessons-and-i-realized-that-this-is-actually/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [Your presence here is is only a matter of conducting an experiment in limits, reminding yourself of what you aren’t.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/your-presence-here-is-is-only-a-matter-of-conducting-an-experiment-in/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Phones rang constantly, as if the White House was conducting some kind of pardon telethon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-olson/phones-rang-constantly-as-if-the-white-house-was-conducting-some-kind/) [Barbara Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-olson/) > [The Kosovo campaign was a just and necessary war. And I believe that Blair - of whom I have many criticisms - in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-kosovo-campaign-was-a-just-and-necessary-war-and-i-believe-that/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I do three things. I do teaching, I do conducting and I do playing. And each one of those sort of helps the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-do-three-things-i-do-teaching-i-do-conducting-and-i-do-playing-and/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. 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They may express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-10-or-12-artists-i-have-known-really-well-all-my-life-are-at/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Conducting is like making love to a hundred people at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bernstein/conducting-is-like-making-love-to-a-hundred-people-at-the-same-time/) [Leonard Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bernstein/) > [..The argument he was conducting with his neighbor as to whether the English magician had gone mad because he was a magician, or because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/the-argument-he-was-conducting-with-his-neighbor-as-to-whether-the/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) [Browse all 223 Conducting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conducting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the Romans gave up hope of conquering Scotland, and the Wee Free Men remained both wee and free.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-to-the-empire-conducting-such/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conducting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-to-the-empire-conducting-such/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/terry-pratchett-19_conducting_needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-t_836887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Needless to say, they refused to submit to the Empire, conducting such a persistent guerrilla war that the…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Needless to say, they refused to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-to-the-empire-conducting-such/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/needless-to-say-they-refused-to-submit-to-the-empire-conducting-such/#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 } } ] } ```