I might bend, but I will NEVER break because it's in my nature as a strong woman.
If there be no right of rebellion against a state of things that no savage tribe would endure without resistance, then I am sure that it is better for men to fight and die without right than to live in such a state of right as this.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote conveys the idea that fighting against injustice, even if it leads to death, is preferable to living under unbearable conditions.
Roger Casement's quote expresses a powerful sentiment regarding the moral obligation to resist oppression and injustice. He emphasizes that if a situation is so intolerable that even the most primitive societies would reject it, then fighting against such conditions, even without a legitimate right, is more honorable than accepting a life of misery and subjugation. This reflects a deep understanding of human dignity and the necessity of standing up for one's beliefs.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech at a human rights rally to inspire action against oppression.
Similar quotes
It was just him and me. He fought with honor. If it weren't for his honor, he and the others would have beaten me together. They might have killed me, then. His sense of honor saved my life. I didn't fight with honor . . . I fought to win.
During the 1942 Quit India Movement, I was a student at Gwalior High School. I was arrested by the British for participating in the movement. My parents then sent me off to my village where, again, I jumped into the movement.
People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.
One day, I had a patient who was going through chemotherapy who came to me and said, 'I'm going to go on with what I'm doing, but I need you to tell me what it is that I'm fighting.'
You can't get to courage without walking through vulnerability.