Quotes about violence

Why are you killing me for your own benefit? I am unarmed.' 'Why, do you not live on the other side of the water? My friend, if you lived on this side, I should be a murderer, but since you live on the other side, I am a brave man and it is right.'

We were told that violence in itself is evil, and that, whatever the cause, it is unjustified morally. By what standard of morality can the violence used by a slave to break his chains be considered the same as the violence of a slave master? By what standards can we equate the violence of blacks who have been oppressed, suppressed, depressed and repressed for four centuries with the violence of white fascists. Violence aimed at the recovery of human dignity and at equality cannot be judged by the same yardstick as violence aimed at maintenance of discrimination and oppression.

When we can lay down our fear and anger and choose responses other than aggression, we create the conditions for bringing out the best in us humans.

Every other method of resolving this difference of opinion has failed. We are reduced to violence, which is the last resort.

Coercion is the tool of the desperate.

"Anybody can act violently - there is nothing to it; but not every person is able to destroy his enemy with words." (p222)

I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood.

A knight's a sword with a horse. The rest, the vows and the sacred oils and the lady's favors, they're silk ribbons tied round the sword. Maybe the sword's prettier with ribbons hanging off it, but it will kill you just as dead.

There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, that beast stirs.

If it is the swordsmen who rule us in truth, why do we pretend kings have the power?

Never draw your sword unless you mean to use it.

“I’ll have the boy.” ... “You’ll have no one,” Yoren said stubbornly. “There’s laws on such things.” The gold cloak drew a shortsword. “Here’s your law.” Yoren looked at the blade. “That’s no law, just a sword. Happens I got one too.”