George Orwell Quotes

Repel force by force

Force is not a remedy.

Force should never be the first answer, but sometimes it is the only answer.

Violence is the only language understood by Mr. Lloyd George and his ministers.

There is a difference between myself and some of the peace people in Europe: whereas they think that the ultimate evil in the world is war, I think the ultimate evil in the world is aggression, and aggression sometimes must be repelled by force.

Every government on earth is the personification of violence and force, and yet the doctine of non-resistance is as old as human thought - even more than this, the instinct is as old as life upon the earth.

Indignation does no good unless it is backed with a club of sufficient size to awe the opposition.

Force is the antithesis of freedom, but force must be used, if only to defend against other force.

Love does not imply pacifism.

Force is legitimate where gentleness avails not.

The only thing that's been a worse flop than the organization of non-violence has been the organization of violence.

It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.

War can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.

Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.

The quietly pacifist peaceful always die to make room for men who shout.

I myself am a very nonviolent person and only resort to violence when I absolutely have to.

The absolute pacifist is a bad citizen; times come when force must be used to uphold right, justice and ideals.

No man has the right to initiate the use of physical force against others.

The people in power will not disappear voluntarily, giving flowers to the cops just isn't going to work. This thinking is fostered by the establishment; they like nothing better than love and nonviolence.

Peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must.

The peace of the man who has forsworn the use of the bullet seems to me not quite peace.

There’s no reason to respect anyone’s word in that part of the world. The only thing they respect is force and the threat of force.

A union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets … has no charm for me.

I am too realistic to believe in pacifism. But, nevertheless, the use of force should always be the last resort.

Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance.