Insurgents are like conquerors: they must go forward; the moment they are stopped, they are lost.
—Duke of Wellington, c. 1819Quotes
Revolutions are not about trifles, but they are produced by trifles.
—Aristotle, c. 350 BCRevolutions have never lightened the burden of tyranny, they have only shifted it to another shoulder.
—George Bernard Shaw, 1903To cast aside obedience, and by popular violence to incite revolt, is treason, not against man only, but against God.
—Pope Leo XIII, 1885It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
—Dolores Ibárruri, 1936The only justification of rebellion is success.
—Thomas B. Reed, 1878Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
—Marcus Tullius Cicero, 63 BCThe spirit of revolution, the spirit of insurrection, is a spirit radically opposed to liberty.
—François Guizot, 1830Revolution begins in putting on bright colors.
—Tennessee Williams, 1944Who draws his sword against his prince must throw away the scabbard.
—James Howell, 1659The surest guide to the correctness of the path that women take is joy in the struggle. Revolution is the festival of the oppressed.
—Germaine Greer, 1970Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
—Benjamin Franklin, 1776The brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over we realize this: that the human has been roughly handled, but that it has advanced.
—Victor Hugo, 1862