"Answer violence with violence. If one of us falls today, five of them must fall tomorrow"
About this Quote
Evita Peron’s power was never only administrative; it was theatrical, intimate, broadcast in the cadence of moral certainty. This kind of language turns grief into policy. “If one of us falls today” pre-authorizes revenge before any specific act, making retaliation feel like self-defense even when it’s premeditated. The pronouns do the real work. “Us” is sanctified community; “them” is an undifferentiated enemy, convenient for a movement that thrives on clear villains. Once “them” is faceless, five deaths can be framed as restoring balance rather than committing atrocity.
In Peronist Argentina, where labor mobilization, anti-elite resentment, and state power were braided tightly together, such rhetoric functioned as a warning to adversaries and a permission slip to militants. It’s less about strategy than about sovereignty: who gets to define legitimate force. The line insists that the movement’s survival justifies excess, and it dares the listener to prove devotion by embracing the excess first.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Peron, Evita. (2026, January 15). Answer violence with violence. If one of us falls today, five of them must fall tomorrow. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/answer-violence-with-violence-if-one-of-us-falls-143818/
Chicago Style
Peron, Evita. "Answer violence with violence. If one of us falls today, five of them must fall tomorrow." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/answer-violence-with-violence-if-one-of-us-falls-143818/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Answer violence with violence. If one of us falls today, five of them must fall tomorrow." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/answer-violence-with-violence-if-one-of-us-falls-143818/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.






