What is nonviolent resistance?

Nonviolence is both a moral philosophy and a political strategy. Both a way of being in this world and a way of battling for justice in this world. It is a philosophy in the tradition of Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a strategy in the tradition of Dr. King and Gene Sharp and others. In short, the moral and ethical philosophy is grounded in the belief that all humans are of infinite worth, and that their dignity cannot be pursued through dehumanization. It is also a strategy that seeks to organize power that will defend human dignity by means of many methods—all of which do not lose moral ground. While nonviolence is ethical, moral, and noble, it is also proven to be highly effective—far more effective, in fact, than violence in producing democratic, rights-respecting, dignity-upholding outcomes afterward.

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, . . . which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

—Martin Luther King Jr., “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech,” 1964

“Nonviolent action is a technique of struggle involving the use of psychological, social, economic, and political power. . . . [It] involves opposing the opponent’s power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means.”

—Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. . . . Non-violence is the weapon of the strong.”

—Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi on Non-Violence (ed. by Thomas Merton), 1965

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, . . . which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

—Martin Luther King Jr., “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech,” 1964

“Nonviolent action is a technique of struggle involving the use of psychological, social, economic, and political power. . . . [It] involves opposing the opponent’s power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means.”

—Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. . . . Non-violence is the weapon of the strong.”

—Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi on Non-Violence (ed. by Thomas Merton), 1965

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, . . . which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

—Martin Luther King Jr., “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech,” 1964

“Nonviolent action is a technique of struggle involving the use of psychological, social, economic, and political power. . . . [It] involves opposing the opponent’s power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means.”

—Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. . . . Non-violence is the weapon of the strong.”

—Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi on Non-Violence (ed. by Thomas Merton), 1965

"I believe in nonviolence as a way of life, as a way of living."

—John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change 2012

"I believe in nonviolence as a way of life, as a way of living."

—John Lewis, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change 2012

and what is it not?

Nonviolence, I have learned by those who practice it well, is not niceness, patience, or submission. It is not capitulation to injustice, nor is it an obsequious letter to a representative who has already decided not to read it. Nonviolence is not conformity pretending to be principle. And nonviolence is emphatically not the absence of force. Indeed, nonviolence is force.

As I have observed and believe, nonviolence is one of the most exacting kinds of force we humans have ever wielded. Those who have trained in it for centuries have been waiting for the rest of us to catch up with their wisdom.

In my most recent book, How to Save Democracy: The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, I offer you an entire, detailed chapter full of contemporary examples of nonviolent resistance, outlining methods you can learn from and actions you can take today to help staunch the erosion of democracy.