--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [I provoke] the system [to] show its true…" description: "\"[I provoke] the system [to] show its true face ... so that through its own acts of terrorism ... the masses will rise against it.\" — Ulrike Meinhof" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg" --- # \[I provoke\] the system \[to\] show its true face ... so that… ![“[I provoke] the system [to] show its true face ... so that through its own acts of terrorism ... the masses will rise against it.” quote by Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg) > “\[I provoke\] the system \[to\] show its true face ... so that through its own acts of terrorism ... the masses will rise against it.” [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that exposing the violent actions of a system reveals its underlying nature, prompting public rebellion. **In simple terms:** Exposing systemic violence incites revolt. Key Takeaway Revealing truth fuels resistance. Themes political activism social critique revolutionary theory state violence mass mobilization Mood defiant urgent hopeful Type political manifesto revolutionary slogan When to use this quote - authoritarian regimes - police brutality - corporate misconduct - state surveillance Key Concepts propaganda terrorism public consciousness power dynamics Practical Applications - activist strategy - public awareness campaigns Questions to Reflect On - How does transparency affect power structures? - What are the risks of inciting mass uprising? A Different Perspective Some argue that exposing violence can also legitimize further repression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) ## Related quotes > [My nature is to provoke, that's true. I can't help myself. But it's always with good intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/my-nature-is-to-provoke-that-s-true-i-can-t-help-myself-but-it-s/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Writers should provoke disagreement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/writers-should-provoke-disagreement/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [I want all my books to provoke some kind of response in the reader, to make them think something or feel something or both,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/i-want-all-my-books-to-provoke-some-kind-of-response-in-the-reader-to/) [Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/) > [Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fathers-provoke-not-your-children-to-wrath/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to grow, find men who provoke you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-harris/if-you-want-to-grow-find-men-who-provoke-you/) [Joshua Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-harris/) > [“I provoke thought, because that is what needs provoking. Humanity seems to hate thinking more than any other activity, and yet that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-peate/i-provoke-thought-because-that-is-what-needs-provoking-humanity-seems/) [Robert Peate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-peate/) > [Provoke The years to bring the inevitable yoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/provoke-the-years-to-bring-the-inevitable-yoke/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Violence can succeed, as Americans know well from the conquest of the national territory. But at terrible cost. It can also provoke violence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/violence-can-succeed-as-americans-know-well-from-the-conquest-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Be a provocateur! Provoke people to think! Provoke sleepers to awake! Provoke slaves to revolt against their masters! Provoke everyone to gain control over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/be-a-provocateur-provoke-people-to-think-provoke-sleepers-to-awake/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [One sin another doth provoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/one-sin-another-doth-provoke/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I feel like great TED Talks are ones that are a little bit subject to interpretation, that do provoke further conversation - and potentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/i-feel-like-great-ted-talks-are-ones-that-are-a-little-bit-subject-to/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [My aim was not to fool. My aim was to provoke thought and stir emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/my-aim-was-not-to-fool-my-aim-was-to-provoke-thought-and-stir-emotion/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [To be interesting, one has to provoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/to-be-interesting-one-has-to-provoke/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [There are people out there who want to provoke me and bring back the old Mary but I'm not giving them the satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/there-are-people-out-there-who-want-to-provoke-me-and-bring-back-the/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [Provoke the unexpected. Expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bresson/provoke-the-unexpected-expect-it/) [Robert Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bresson/) ## More by Ulrike Meinhof > [Objection is when I say: this doesn't suit me. Resistance is when I make sure that what doesn't suit me never happens again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/objection-is-when-i-say-this-doesn-t-suit-me-resistance-is-when-i/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [Protest is when I say...'I don't agree with something'… Resistance is when I ensure that things with which I disagree no longer take place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/protest-is-when-i-say-i-don-t-agree-with-something-resistance-is-when/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [If one sets a car on fire, that is a criminal offence. If one sets hundreds of cars on fire, that is political action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/if-one-sets-a-car-on-fire-that-is-a-criminal-offence-if-one-sets/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [Anti-Semitism is really a hatred of capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/anti-semitism-is-really-a-hatred-of-capitalism/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [If you throw one stone, it’s a punishable offence. If 1,000 stones are thrown, it’s political action. If you set a car on fire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/if-you-throw-one-stone-it-s-a-punishable-offence-if-1-000-stones-are/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [These are the strategic dialectics of anti-imperialist struggle: through the defensive reactions of the system, the escalation of counterrevolution, the transformation of the political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/these-are-the-strategic-dialectics-of-anti-imperialist-struggle/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [Protest is when I say this does not please me. Resistance is when I ensure what does not please me occurs no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/protest-is-when-i-say-this-does-not-please-me-resistance-is-when-i/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [“But that is who we are, that is where we come from. We are the offspring of metropolitan annihilation and destruction, of the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/but-that-is-who-we-are-that-is-where-we-come-from-we-are-the/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [Protest is when I say I don't like this. Resistance is when I put an end to what I don't like. Protest is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/protest-is-when-i-say-i-don-t-like-this-resistance-is-when-i-put-an/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [I can be a subversive element.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/i-can-be-a-subversive-element/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) [Explore all 11 Ulrike Meinhof quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) ## More Faces quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [So," I said. "Seems you're going to be stuck with me for a while." He smiled. A real smile that lit up his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/so-i-said-seems-you-re-going-to-be-stuck-with-me-for-a-while-he/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Here comes old Rosie she's looking mighty fine, here comes hot Nancy she's steppin' right on time. There go the street lights bringing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/here-comes-old-rosie-she-s-looking-mighty-fine-here-comes-hot-nancy/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [A face is too slight a foundation for happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/a-face-is-too-slight-a-foundation-for-happiness/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 13,128 Faces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[I provoke] the system [to] show its true face ... so that through its own acts of terrorism ... the masses will rise against it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ulrike Meinhof" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-face-so-that-through-its-own/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Faces" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-face-so-that-through-its-own/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/ulrike-meinhof-40153_faces_i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-fa_23351.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[I provoke] the system [to] show its true face ... so that through its own acts of terrorism ... the masses…” — Ulrike Meinhof", "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": "Ulrike Meinhof", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[I provoke] the system [to] show...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-face-so-that-through-its-own/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/i-provoke-the-system-to-show-its-true-face-so-that-through-its-own/#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 } } ] } ```