"At first everyone predicted that it would be impossible to hold these divergent people together, but aside from the skilled men, some of whom belonged to craft unions, comparatively few went back to the mills. And as a whole, the strike was conducted with little violence"
- Ray Stannard Baker
About this Quote
This quote by Ray Stannard Baker is describing a strike that was carried out by a group of people with diverse backgrounds. At first, it was thought that it would be impossible to keep the group together, however surprisingly, just a few individuals returned to the mills. This recommends that the strike succeeded in uniting the group and that it was performed with minimal violence. This is a testament to the power of collective action and the strength of uniformity. It reveals that when people come together and defend a common cause, they can accomplish terrific things, even when the odds are stacked versus them. This quote is a tip of the significance of standing together and fighting for what is right.
"What is real is not the external form, but the essence of things... it is impossible for anyone to express anything essentially real by imitating its exterior surface"