--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tragedy is not that nonviolence did…" description: "\"The tragedy is not that nonviolence did not work against the Nazis, but that it was so seldom utilized... The churches as a whole were too docile or an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/walter-wink-20602_anti-semitic_the-tragedy-is-not-that-nonviolence-did_1233797.jpg" --- # The tragedy is not that nonviolence did not work against… ![“The tragedy is not that nonviolence did not work against the Nazis, but that it was so seldom utilized... The churches as a whole were too docile or anti-semitic, and too ignorant of the nonviolent message of the Gospel, to act effectively to resist the Nazis or act in solidarity with the Jews.” quote by Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/walter-wink-20602_anti-semitic_the-tragedy-is-not-that-nonviolence-did_1233797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/walter-wink-20602_anti-semitic_the-tragedy-is-not-that-nonviolence-did_1233797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21d/walter-wink-20602_anti-semitic_the-tragedy-is-not-that-nonviolence-did_1233797.jpg) > “The tragedy is not that nonviolence did not work against the Nazis, but that it was so seldom utilized... The churches as a whole were too docile or anti-semitic, and too ignorant of the nonviolent message of the Gospel, to act effectively to resist the Nazis or act in solidarity with the Jews.” [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) ## 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 critiques the historical failure of nonviolent resistance against Nazis, blaming institutional passivity and lack of understanding of nonviolent principles. **In simple terms:** Nonviolence was underused against Nazis due to institutional passivity. Key Takeaway Promote active, informed nonviolent resistance. Themes history nonviolence ethics Mood somber determined Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - activism training - historical education - ethical leadership Key Concepts social movements religious doctrine Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions adopt nonviolent principles? - What lessons apply to modern oppression? A Different Perspective Nonviolent strategies require widespread education and commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi/) [Nonviolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolence/) [Nonviolent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonviolent/) [Pacifism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifism/) [Solidarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidarity/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was very quiet, very shy and docile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-was-very-quiet-very-shy-and-docile/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [My private tragedy, which cannot, and indeed should not, be anybody's concern, is that I had to abandon my natural idiom, my untrammeled, rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/my-private-tragedy-which-cannot-and-indeed-should-not-be-anybody-s/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Why are you so docile when you give up your child to a government agent called a schoolteacher?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/why-are-you-so-docile-when-you-give-up-your-child-to-a-government/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [We would be better off thinking of nature as a tiger than as a docile and compliant automaton that can never threaten our survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-latour/we-would-be-better-off-thinking-of-nature-as-a-tiger-than-as-a-docile/) [Bruno Latour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-latour/) > [When we recognize the rod of a father, should we not show ourselves docile children rather than rebelliously desperate men who have been hardened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/when-we-recognize-the-rod-of-a-father-should-we-not-show-ourselves/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Some people would view Jackie Robinson as a very safe African-American, a docile figure who had a tendency to try to get along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/some-people-would-view-jackie-robinson-as-a-very-safe-african/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [The lyricism of marginality may find inspiration in the image of the outlaw, the great social nomad, who prowls on the confines of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/the-lyricism-of-marginality-may-find-inspiration-in-the-image-of-the/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Sheep are not the docile, pleasant creatures of the pastoral idyll. Any countryman will tell you that. They are sly, occasionally vicious, pathologically stupid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/sheep-are-not-the-docile-pleasant-creatures-of-the-pastoral-idyll-any/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Milton almost requires a solemn service of music to be played before you enter upon him. But he brings his music, to which who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/milton-almost-requires-a-solemn-service-of-music-to-be-played-before/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I love this book! Cathy Malkasian's Percy Gloom swirls with echoes of cartoon landscapes from the past and present. You can almost hear Percy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-smith/i-love-this-book-cathy-malkasian-s-percy-gloom-swirls-with-echoes-of/) [Jeff Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-smith/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The horse has such a docile nature, that he would always rather do right the wrong, if he can only be taught to distinguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-melville/the-horse-has-such-a-docile-nature-that-he-would-always-rather-do/) George W. Melville > [It is the docile who achieve the most impossible things in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/it-is-the-docile-who-achieve-the-most-impossible-things-in-this-world/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The Seal, she lounges like a bride,Much too docile, there's no doubt;Madame Récamier, on side,(if such she has), and bottom out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/the-seal-she-lounges-like-a-bride-much-too-docile-there-s-no-doubt/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) ## More by Walter Wink > [In 1989, thirteen nations comprising 1,695,000 people experienced nonviolent revolutions that succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations . . . If we add all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/in-1989-thirteen-nations-comprising-1-695-000-people-experienced/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [Mysticism has often been misunderstood as the attempt to escape this simple, phenomenal world to a more pure existence in heaven beyond. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/mysticism-has-often-been-misunderstood-as-the-attempt-to-escape-this/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“The practical consequence of both of the teachings noted is to encourage homosexual promiscuity. Church members can engage in many short-term liaisons without raising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-practical-consequence-of-both-of-the-teachings-noted-is-to/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [Evil can be opposed without being mirrored. Oppressors can be resisted without being emulated. Enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/evil-can-be-opposed-without-being-mirrored-oppressors-can-be-resisted/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“Violent revolution fails because it is not revolutionary enough. It changes the rulers but not the rules, the ends but not the means. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/violent-revolution-fails-because-it-is-not-revolutionary-enough-it/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“The gospel, then, is not a message about the salvation of individuals from the world, but news about a world transfigured, right down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-gospel-then-is-not-a-message-about-the-salvation-of-individuals/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“Violent revolution fails because it is not revolutionary enough. It changes the rulers but not the rules, the ends but not the means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/violent-revolution-fails-because-it-is-not-revolutionary-enough-it-2/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [The 'peace' the gospel brings is never the absence of conflict, but an ineffable divine reassurance within the heart of conflict; a peace that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-peace-the-gospel-brings-is-never-the-absence-of-conflict-but-an/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [Prayer infuses the air of a time yet to be into the suffocating atmosphere of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/prayer-infuses-the-air-of-a-time-yet-to-be-into-the-suffocating/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“Personal redemption cannot take place apart from the redemption of our social structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/personal-redemption-cannot-take-place-apart-from-the-redemption-of/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“There is nothing, from DNA to the United Nations, that does not have God at its core. Everything has a spiritual aspect. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/there-is-nothing-from-dna-to-the-united-nations-that-does-not-have/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [...Jesus did not advocate non-violence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a just means of opposing the enemy in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/jesus-did-not-advocate-non-violence-merely-as-a-technique-for/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [The greatest obstacle is simply this: the belief that we cannot change because we are dependent on what is wrong. That is the addict's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-greatest-obstacle-is-simply-this-the-belief-that-we-cannot-change/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“The ultimate weakness of violence,” observed Martin Luther King, Jr., “is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-ultimate-weakness-of-violence-observed-martin-luther-king-jr-is/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“Faith requires at times marching into the waters before they part.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/faith-requires-at-times-marching-into-the-waters-before-they-part/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) [Explore all 30 Walter Wink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) ## More Anti semitic quotes > [We witness anti-Semitic attacks in the heart of Europe. We hear anti-Semitic slanders in European media. We feel anti-Semitic hatred in the continent that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-shaked/we-witness-anti-semitic-attacks-in-the-heart-of-europe-we-hear-anti/) [Ayelet Shaked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-shaked/) > [“. Despite the considerable horror they had felt when the SA men were bellowing crude anti-Semitic slogans, in retrospect the joke-tellers were very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-herzog/despite-the-considerable-horror-they-had-felt-when-the-sa-men-were/) [Rudolph Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-herzog/) > [Oddly enough, most of the books written about the subject aren't very good because they just focus on the more hateful movies that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/oddly-enough-most-of-the-books-written-about-the-subject-aren-t-very/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Make no mistake about those who call themselves anti Zionist are anti Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/make-no-mistake-about-those-who-call-themselves-anti-zionist-are-anti/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Oswald Mosley's movement, it was a big movement. It was obviously anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, it was populist. Mosley wanted to replace the parliamentary system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/oswald-mosley-s-movement-it-was-a-big-movement-it-was-obviously-anti/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [The founder of the BDS movement is blatantly anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-zeldin/the-founder-of-the-bds-movement-is-blatantly-anti-semitic/) [Lee Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-zeldin/) > [I have excellent relationships with Jewish organizations and participate every year in a Hanukkah celebration with my family. There haven't been any anti-Semitic tendencies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-yushchenko/i-have-excellent-relationships-with-jewish-organizations-and/) [Viktor Yushchenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-yushchenko/) > [To stand together against homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic and racist agendas. I’m an optimist and I can’t help but feel hopeful about the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/to-stand-together-against-homophobic-sexist-misogynistic-anti-semitic/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [And we've also had now the speaker of the Parliament in Iraq using blatantly anti-Semitic remarks, saying the Jews and sons of Jews are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-schakowsky/and-we-ve-also-had-now-the-speaker-of-the-parliament-in-iraq-using/) [Jan Schakowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-schakowsky/) > [If it's racist, it's racist. If it's anti-Semitic, it's anti-Semitic. If it's anti-women, it's anti-women. If it's anti-immigrant, it's anti-immigrant, and we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/if-it-s-racist-it-s-racist-if-it-s-anti-semitic-it-s-anti-semitic-if/) [Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/) > [There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/there-is-no-excuse-nor-should-there-be-any-tolerance-for-anyone-who/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [There was no reason to label us as anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/there-was-no-reason-to-label-us-as-anti-semitic/) [Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/) > [Jews, I know you're God's chosen people and the rest of us are just 'whatever', but when Israel behaves like a violent, psychopathic bully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-brigstocke/jews-i-know-you-re-god-s-chosen-people-and-the-rest-of-us-are-just/) [Marcus Brigstocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-brigstocke/) > [As for me, even though I have been accused of anti-Semitism countless times, no one has ever heard me make anti-Semitic statements or engage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/as-for-me-even-though-i-have-been-accused-of-anti-semitism-countless/) [Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/) > [There was no reason to label us as anti-Semitic. No reason at all. I do not know one person in the National Front who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/there-was-no-reason-to-label-us-as-anti-semitic-no-reason-at-all-i-do/) [Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/) Browse all 129 Anti semitic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The tragedy is not that nonviolence did not work against the Nazis, but that it was so seldom utilized... 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