"When I recall my own path of life, I cannot but speak of the violence, hatred and lies. A lesson drawn from such experiences, however, was that we can effectively oppose violence only if we ourselves do not resort to it"
About this Quote
The subtext is strategic as much as moral. Coming from the emblematic leader of Poland’s Solidarity movement, this isn’t abstract pacifism; it’s a hard-earned method. Solidarity’s power depended on mass participation, legitimacy, and international visibility. Nonviolence isn’t portrayed as saintly restraint but as the only approach that doesn’t fracture a coalition or hand the state a pretext for crackdowns. The phrase “effectively oppose” is doing heavy lifting: it turns ethics into tactics, implying that violence is not merely wrong but self-defeating, a shortcut that strengthens the very logic it claims to fight.
Context matters: late Cold War Eastern Europe was a battlefield of symbols, where a worker with a mustache could outmaneuver a superpower not by matching force, but by refusing its script. Walesa’s intent is to keep future movements from mistaking rage for leverage, and to remind newly free societies that democracy can be lost the moment “necessary” violence becomes routine.
Quote Details
| Topic | Peace |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Walesa, Lech. (2026, February 17). When I recall my own path of life, I cannot but speak of the violence, hatred and lies. A lesson drawn from such experiences, however, was that we can effectively oppose violence only if we ourselves do not resort to it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-recall-my-own-path-of-life-i-cannot-but-99033/
Chicago Style
Walesa, Lech. "When I recall my own path of life, I cannot but speak of the violence, hatred and lies. A lesson drawn from such experiences, however, was that we can effectively oppose violence only if we ourselves do not resort to it." FixQuotes. February 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-recall-my-own-path-of-life-i-cannot-but-99033/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When I recall my own path of life, I cannot but speak of the violence, hatred and lies. A lesson drawn from such experiences, however, was that we can effectively oppose violence only if we ourselves do not resort to it." FixQuotes, 17 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-recall-my-own-path-of-life-i-cannot-but-99033/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
