Quotes about Resistance
Oppression makes wise men mad; but the distemper is still the madness of the wise, which is better than the sobriety of fools.
— Edmund Burke
Wherever a man goes, men will pursue him and paw him with their dirty institutions, and, if they can, constrain him to belong to their desperate odd-fellow society.
— Henry David Thoreau
The first reaction to truth is hatred.
— Tertullian
Truth and the hatred of truth come into our world together. As soon as truth appears, it is regarded as an enemy.
— Tertullian
We must despise all these temptations and pay no attention whatsoever to them.
— St. Therese of Lisieux
We must exercise the largest charity towards the wrong-doer that is compatible with relentless war against the wrong-doing. We must be just to others, generous to others, and yet we must realize that it is a shameful and a wicked thing not to withstand oppression with high heart and ready hand.
— Theodore Roosevelt
People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
It is not really a small thing when in small things we resist self.
— Thomas a Kempis
It is a hard thing to break through a habit and a yet harder thing to go contrary to our own will. Yet if thou overcome not slight and easy obstacles how wilt thou overcome greater ones Withstand thy will at the beginning and unlearn an evil habit lest it lead thee little by little into worse difficulties. Oh if thou knewest what peace to thyself thy holy life should bring ...and what joy to others methinketh thou wouldst be more zealous for spiritual profit.
— Thomas a Kempis
Who hath a harder battle to fight than he who striveth for self-mastery?
— Thomas a Kempis
Satan leaves unbelievers and sinners alone because he already has them in his grip; he goes after believers who are faithful and devout.
— Thomas a Kempis
For first cometh to the mind the simple suggestion, then the strong imagination, afterwards pleasure, evil affection, assent. And so little by little the enemy entereth in altogether, because he was not resisted at the beginning. And the longer a man delayeth his resistance, the weaker he groweth, and the stronger groweth the enemy against him.
— Thomas a Kempis