--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were times when a man must assert…" description: "\"“There were times when a man must assert his rights to what was properly his, and he had as much right on the street as anyone… If a man held his groun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg" --- # There were times when a man must assert his rights to what… ![“There were times when a man must assert his rights to what was properly his, and he had as much right on the street as anyone… If a man held his ground they always stopped.” quote by The Gordons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg) > ““There were times when a man must assert his rights to what was properly his, and he had as much right on the street as anyone… If a man held his ground they always stopped.”” [The Gordons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-gordons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People must assert their rightful claims, especially in public spaces, to maintain personal dignity and societal order. **In simple terms:** Assert rights publicly. Key Takeaway Stand firm for your rights. Themes Rights Assertiveness Personal dignity Public space Social order Mood assertive determined Type political inspirational When to use this quote - Protests - Neighborhood disputes - Workplace negotiations - Legal advocacy Key Concepts Legal theory Civic activism Power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What situations require firm assertion? - How can you assert rights without escalation? A Different Perspective Rights can be contested despite assertion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assert Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assert-rights-565944/) [Held Ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-ground-1896151/) [Man Assert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-assert-3164628/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights Properly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-properly-1643054/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We are not exercising our democratic rights properly. We need to stop looking for solutions in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/we-are-not-exercising-our-democratic-rights-properly-we-need-to-stop/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [“How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?” Winston thought. “By making him suffer,” he said. “Exactly. By making him suffer. Obedience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/how-does-one-man-assert-his-power-over-another-winston-winston/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The crisis is arrived when we must assert our rights, or submit to every imposition, that can be heaped upon us, till custom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-crisis-is-arrived-when-we-must-assert-our-rights-or-submit-to/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“Because of these lengthy and protracted court battles, it is important for Kanaka Maoli farmers to remember to assert their rights in the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelani-goodyear-ka-opua/because-of-these-lengthy-and-protracted-court-battles-it-is-important/) [Noelani Goodyear-Ka'opua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelani-goodyear-ka-opua/) > [To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-exercise-power-costs-effort-and-demands-courage-that-is-why-so/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Violence becomes imperative when an attempt is made to assert rights without any reference to duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/violence-becomes-imperative-when-an-attempt-is-made-to-assert-rights/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Should've held my ground. I could've been redeemed. For every second chance that changed its mind on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parachute/should-ve-held-my-ground-i-could-ve-been-redeemed-for-every-second/) [Parachute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parachute/) > [“He held his ground like a sweet gum stump trying hard to live in a spirit of love and action, not anger and reaction”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-b-tyson/he-held-his-ground-like-a-sweet-gum-stump-trying-hard-to-live-in-a/) [Timothy B. Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-b-tyson/) > [The greatest oak was once a little nut that held it's ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-oak-was-once-a-little-nut-that-held-it-s-ground/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that held its ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-parks/today-s-mighty-oak-is-yesterday-s-nut-that-held-its-ground/) [Rosa Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-parks/) > [“The ground recoiled, shocked. The worktable swooped beneath him as though it were a swing whose rope had broken. He turned over, grinding his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-ground-recoiled-shocked-the-worktable-swooped-beneath-him-as/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/the-greatest-oak-was-once-a-little-nut-who-held-its-ground/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“Are you going to try it with me? Or do you only take pleasure in attacking those who cannot defend themselves?" Damen heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/are-you-going-to-try-it-with-me-or-do-you-only-take-pleasure-in/) [S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) > [Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut, that held its ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/today-s-mighty-oak-is-just-yesterday-s-nut-that-held-its-ground/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ## More Rights quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [ Bernie \[Ecclestone\] is the commercial rights holder so the more outgoing the champion is, the better. Of course. I also do think about our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/bernie-ecclestone-is-the-commercial-rights-holder-so-the-more/) [Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Any home where there is love constitutes a family and all families should have the same legal rights, including the right to marry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/any-home-where-there-is-love-constitutes-a-family-and-all-families/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [The judiciary must not take on the coloration of whatever may be popular at the moment. We are guardian of rights, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-bird/the-judiciary-must-not-take-on-the-coloration-of-whatever-may-be/) [Rose Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-bird/) [Browse all 6,923 Rights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There were times when a man must assert his rights to what was properly his, and he had as much right on the street as anyone… If a man held his ground they always stopped.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "The Gordons" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-gordons/there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert-his-rights-to-what-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Rights" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-gordons/there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert-his-rights-to-what-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/the-gordons-282380_time_there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert_1540200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were times when a man must assert his rights to what was properly his, and he had as much right on the…” — The Gordons", "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": "The Gordons", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-gordons/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There were times when a man...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-gordons/there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert-his-rights-to-what-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-gordons/there-were-times-when-a-man-must-assert-his-rights-to-what-was/#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 } } ] } ```