Non-violent resistance implies the very opposite of weakness. Defiance combined with non-retaliatory acceptance of repression from one's opponents is active, not passive. It requires strength, and there is nothing automatic or intuitive about the resoluteness required for using non-violent methods in political struggle and the quest for Truth.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Non-violent resistance requires active strength and defiance rather than passive weakness.
- In plain terms
- Non-violent resistance is strong and active, not weak.
- What can you take from it?
- See non-violent resistance as a sign of strength.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is resistance possible without violence?
- What does strength look like to you?
Another view
It may not account for situations where non-violence fails.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.
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