Amanda

“if someone says, “Shut the fuck up or I’m going to beat your ass,” and it escalates into a fight you will have real trouble proving self-defense... because you didn’t simply shut the fuck up. Self-defense is about defending your body, not your pride. If this threat display devolves into a fight, you were engaged in the Monkey Dance. You were not defending yourself. •”
― Rory Miller, Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected

“If you deny reality, you cannot control reality.”
― Rory Miller

“Someone is going to read this and think, “I have a right to go anywhere I want. Just because something is dangerous doesn’t take away my rights.” Let’s get this over with now. Defending yourself is not and never has been about rights—rights are those things that the civilized members of society agree everyone deserves. When you hit the ground and taste blood in your mouth, when a steel-toed boot slams your head into a curb, when a knife slips under the waistband of your skirt and a hand is wrapped around your throat, the civilized agreement on how people should be treated is not an issue.”
― Rory Miller, Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence

“There is an old saying, “Never ascribe to malice what can better be explained by stupidity.” That’s good advice.”
― Rory Miller, ConCom: Conflict Communication A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication