A liberation movement that is nonviolent sets the oppressor free as well as the oppressed. Barbara Deming More Quotes by Barbara Deming More Quotes From Barbara Deming Surely all of us are nerved by one another, catch courage from one another. Barbara Deming I learned always to trust my own deep sense of what I should do, and not just obediently trust the judgment of others - even others better than I am. Barbara Deming judgment-of-others judgment should Vengeance is not the point: change is. Barbara Deming vengeance Something seems wrong to most people engaged in struggle when they see more people hurt on their own side than on the other side. They are used to reading this as an indication of defeat, and a complete mental readjustment is required of them. Within the new terms of struggle, victory has nothing to do with their being able to give more punishment than they take (quite the reverse); victory has nothing to do with their being able to punish the other at all; it has to do simply with being able, finally, to make the other move... Vengeance is not the point; change is. Barbara Deming hurt struggle moving Nonviolent action does not have to get others to be nice. It can in effect force them to consult their consciences. Barbara Deming nice action doe We believe, in fact, that the one act of respect has little force unless matched by the other - in balance with it... The acting out of that dual respect I would name as precisely the source of our power. Barbara Deming balance names believe This is the heart of my argument: We can put more pressure on the antagonist for whom we show human concern. Barbara Deming argument pressure heart The free man must be born before freedom can be won, and the brotherly man must be born before full brotherhood can be won. It will come into being only if we build it out of our very muscle and bone - by trying to act it out. Barbara Deming being-free brotherhood men It is one thing to be able to state the price the antagonist paid, another to be able to count you own real gains. Barbara Deming gains able real To resort to power one need not be violent, and to speak to conscience one need not be meek. Barbara Deming violent speak needs We cannot live without our lives Barbara Deming our-lives Nonviolent tactics can move into action on our behalf men not naturally inclined to act for us. Barbara Deming tactics men moving All prisons that have existed in our society to date put people away as no human being should ever be put away. Barbara Deming our-society prison people After the revolution, it might very well remain necessary to place people where they could not do harm to others. But the one under restraint should be cut off from the rest of society as little as possible. Barbara Deming cutting littles people After the revolution, let us hope, prisons simply would not exist - if by prisons we mean places that could be experienced by the men and women in them at all as every place that goes by that name now is bound to be experienced. Barbara Deming names men mean Of course it can be said of jails, too, that they try - by punishing the troublesome - to deter others. No doubt, in certain instances this deterrence actually works. But generally speaking it fails conspicuously. Barbara Deming jail doubt trying Punishment cannot heal spirits, can only break them. Barbara Deming punishment break spirit The injunction that we should love our neighbors as ourselves means to us equally that we should love ourselves as we love our neighbors. Barbara Deming neighbor should mean There should be no censorship of mail. Barbara Deming censorship mail should Think first of the action that is right to take, think later about coping with one's fears. Barbara Deming fear firsts thinking
