1,621 Quotes About Violence

I think Bonzo died. I dreamed about it last night. I remembered the way he looked after I jammed his face with my head. I think I must have pushed his nose back into his brain. The blood was coming out of his eyes. I think he was dead right then.

My mother, after stopping her physical abuse, began conveying my private life through a filtered lens to my relatives via phone. She was the 'dutiful mother' and painted our family portrait as a hardship because of me.

Language is ice that breaks beneath our feet.

When Death comes to visit, he will be wearing a smile. Why? Because he enjoys his work.

The worst thing about a war or a pandemic or a massacre is people don't die with dignity, the one thing for which they were preparing from all of their lives.

Violence, for me, and for the women I chronicle in this book, is simply a political reality.

I say I’m a pacifist because I am a violent son of a bitch. I’m a Texan. I can feel it in every bone I’ve got. And I hate the language of pacifism because it’s too passive. But by avowing it, I create expectations in others that hopefully will help me live faithfully to what is true.

Violence is never the best choice; it destroys perpetrator and victim alike. But when the oppressor is the system itself, when all other means of peaceful protest are blocked or mocked, don’t be surprised when people view violence as their only choice.

My hope is that by sharing my story, along with the continuing adventure to gain some sense of equilibrium, those of you who have also survived violence won’t feel quite so alone on your journey. A community of survivors is a brave place to start the healing process, and sadly, for many, that community is difficult, if not impossible, to find.