The 'Terror' of the French Revolution lasted for ten years. The terror that preceded and led to it lasted for a thousand years.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Long-term systemic suffering often fuels sudden, violent revolutions.
- In plain terms
- The slow suffering before a revolution causes more pain than the revolution itself.
- What can you take from it?
- Chronic suffering often causes sudden violent change.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What causes revolution?
- Is change always violent?
Another view
It may understate the brutality of the revolutionary period itself.
More from Edward Abbey
Freedom begins between the ears.
Permalink to quote #43 Counterpart to the knee-jerk liberal is the new knee-pad conservative, always groveling before the rich and powerful.
Permalink to quote #45 The more corrupt a society, the more numerous its laws.
Permalink to quote #42
Related quotes
The worst of revolutions is a restoration.
Charles James FoxCharles James Fox quote #2 The most heroic word in all languages is REVOLUTION.
Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs quote #4 Revolutions are the locomotives of history.
Nikita KhrushchevNikita Khrushchev quote #24