Peaceful Protest Quotes

“Any government's condemnation of terrorism is only credible if it shows itself to be responsive to persistent, reasonable, closely argued, non-violent dissent. And yet, what's happening is just the opposite. The world over, non-violent resistance movements are being crushed and broken. If we do not respect and honour them, by default we privilege those who turn to violent means.”
― Arundhati Roy

“When you burn down a building or topple a car, the violence drown out the injustice of what’s being done to you. It puts you on the same moral level as the people whose violence you are protesting. You’re no longer on the higher ground or plane. You make enemies of the people you need to win over to effect change.”
― John Lewis, Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation

“During the 1960s, we protested with non-violent methods. There is something peaceful, cleansing, and wholesome about being orderly and not threatening.”
― John Lewis, Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation

“Restrain the oppressor, don't harm them.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society

“Violence cannot be revolution. Either you can have violence or you can have revolution.”
― Abhijit Naskar

“First law of responsible activism - make way for the ambulance, otherwise, there's no difference between you and a petty terrorist.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Şehit Sevda Society: Even in Death I Shall Live

“Love is the only answer, there is no question, but it is a lover's duty to stand up to oppression.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Giants in Jeans: 100 Sonnets of United Earth

“Love, don’t fight. But fight for what you love.”
― Richie Norton

“It is the recklessness and irresponsibility of the Nigerian government that is bringing back the EndSARS street protest. The struggle must continue because the country belongs to us all.”
― Olawale Daniel

“You want revolution? Then dismantle all indifference and stand up - stand up and do not move - do not move from your conviction of justice - do not move from your conviction of equality - do not move from your conviction of humanity - do not move an inch - even if all the artilleries in the world are charged against you - do not move and do not harm - just stand - keep standing - keep standing like a pillar of insanity - an insanity for sanctity - an insanity for serenity - an insanity for unity - let them break every single bone in your body - let all the blood in your veins pour out - let every trace of life seep out of your wounds - but still do not move - till there is a single kernel of life left in you. This is what revolution looks like - this is what civilized revolution looks like - no guns, no bombs, not even a baton, just a whole lot of determination, that even the mighty gods cannot deter - a revolution that turns an animal world into a human world - a revolution that turns a jungle into a modern society – a revolution that turns distance into unity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Martyr Meets World: To Solve The Hard Problem of Inhumanity

“I need no gun to defend the society.”
― Abhijit Naskar

“Stand unbending against inhumanity, without weapons, without violence, only then will your revolution produce a better society.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Martyr Meets World: To Solve The Hard Problem of Inhumanity

“To the civilized revolutionary, not a single human life is expendable, even that of the oppressor, whereas to the mindless terrorist, even the loss of innocent lives is acceptable in the pursuit of their mission.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society

“Now on, the revolution and all the future revolutions must continue without resorting to violence. I am not talking about simply nonviolence, I am talking about having an actual and utter repulsiveness towards violence. This is the fundamental requirement of a civilized revolution.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society

“The whole world will fall short for my army of unarmed humanitarians.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Solo Standing on Guard: Life Before Law

“Why isn't it justified to resort to violence in the course of justice? It's because if you resort to violence for your conviction of humanity, then nothing stops the inhumans to resort to violence for their conviction. Hence nothing changes. We must change the very notion that it is okay to resort to violence if we want to change the society. What's need is a desire for reform founded entirely on the premise of peace.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Solo Standing on Guard: Life Before Law

“Books Over Bombs (The Sonnet)

Bombs kill terrorists,
Books kill terrorism.
Missiles kill extremists,
Mindfulness kills extremism.
Guns kill supremacists,
Goodness kills supremacy.
Law restrains cruel people,
Love reforms cruelty.
Sarin cripples the malicious,
Service cures malice.
C4 impairs the prejudiced,
Curiosity treats prejudice.
Violence can be revolution no more.
For all degradation kindness is the cure.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Solo Standing on Guard: Life Before Law

“We won't let your children come to harm, nor will we strike you back in vengeance. But when you vilify the sanctity of human life, rest assured we'll restrain you without violence.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Generation Corazon: Nationalism is Terrorism

“Aşkistani: Citizen of Love (The Sonnet)

Listen you all peddlers of hate,
Hard as you may blow the horn of tyranny.
To jeopardize all your stone-age stupidity,
You'll always be confronted with an aşkistani.
We won't let your children come to harm,
Nor will we strike you back in vengeance.
But when you vilify the sanctity of human life,
Rest assured we'll restrain you without violence.
Violence may be your childish habit,
You may practice it all you desire.
We are the revolution of conscience,
That incinerates prejudice by sheer willpower.
We are not here to peddle any ideology.
All we ask is come let's be one family.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Generation Corazon: Nationalism is Terrorism

“Nonviolence is the foundation of civilization, but first we must ask, what is nonviolence? No matter what my good friend Jesus said two thousand years ago, nonviolence doesn't mean nonresistance to evil, nonviolence means restraining evil without retaliating with further evil.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Şehit Sevda Society: Even in Death I Shall Live

“The line between activism and terrorism is so thin that if you scratch the surface of all the activists, you'll end up discovering more terrorists than actual reformers.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Şehit Sevda Society: Even in Death I Shall Live

“Courage of the savage is in their weapon, courage of the reformer is in their conviction.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Gentalist: There's No Social Work, Only Family Work

“Fever is not actually a sign of sickness, it is a sign that your body is fighting infection. Likewise, revolution is not a sign of disorder, it is a sign that the society is fighting the infection of inhumanity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mucize Misafir Merhaba: The Peace Testament

“I’m scared. I’m scared of the dawn. I’m scared of dusk. I’m scared of anything in between. I’m scared of everything. I’m waiting for peace. Then I know, I won’t be scared of anything.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya

“I cannot conclude without earnestly recommending to my fellow-citizens, the forbearance of all force or violence, to obstruct the execution of the laws, or disturb the peace of society' relying, to effect the desirable reforms, upon the ordinary and proper modes of petition and remonstrance; and above all to be peculiarly cautious, and attentive to that object, in their suffrages at the various Elections, which, in a representative government, cannot fail of restoring things to their first principles, if the people are not deceived or cajoled, nor in a state of apathy or inattention to the importance of their suffrages.' -- EDMUND PENDLETON, 'Address of the Honorable Edmund Pendleton (1798/1799?)”
― John A. Ragosta, For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle

“Revolution a day keeps corruption away.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology