Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical read more

Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical fears and hopes

When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.

When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women read more

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

We should manage our fortune as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is read more

We should manage our fortune as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad, and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to defeat, for it is momentary.

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to defeat, for it is momentary.

Violence has no constitutional sanction; and every government from the beginning has moved against it. But where grievances pile high read more

Violence has no constitutional sanction; and every government from the beginning has moved against it. But where grievances pile high and most of the elected spokesmen represent the Establishment, violence may be the only effective response.

If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will read more

If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know that the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassins, not in my dying.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture read more

Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn't merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country. Violence is much more subtle, much deeper, and we are inquiring into the very depths of violence.