Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

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.

When people say there is too much violence in [my books], what they are saying is there is too much read more

When people say there is too much violence in [my books], what they are saying is there is too much reality in life.

Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the state, with its haughtiness, its violence, read more

Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the state, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does read more

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

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

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.

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.