One should not interpret the word “Revolution” in its literal sense. Various meanings and significances are attributed to this word, according to the interests of those who use or misuse it. For the established agencies of exploitation it conjures up a feeling of blood stained horror. To the revolutionaries it is a sacred phrase.
My applications submitted to the Tribunal regarding my interview during the hunger strike were misinterpreted, and it was published in the press that I was going to offer defence, though in reality I was never willing to offer any defence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses Bhagat Singh's frustration over the misinterpretation of his intentions during a critical moment, revealing the challenges faced by those who stand up for their beliefs.
In this quote, Bhagat Singh highlights the difficulties he encountered in ensuring his stance and intentions were accurately represented during a time of significant personal sacrifice. His experience during the hunger strike, a powerful act of defiance, was distorted by external narratives, emphasizing the struggle for truth and integrity in the face of oppression and misinformation. Singh's unwillingness to defend himself in a conventional sense illustrates his commitment to his cause and the conviction that his actions spoke louder than words.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about human rights, referring to Bhagat Singh's struggle for justice.
More from Bhagat Singh
All quotes →Non-violence is backed by the theory of soul-force in which suffering is courted in the hope of ultimately winning over the opponent. But what happens when such an attempt fail to achieve the object? It is here that soul-force has to be combined with physical force so as not to remain at the mercy of tyrannical and ruthless enemy.
Those revolutionaries who have, by chance, escaped the gallows should live and show to the world that they cannot only embrace gallows for the ideal but also bear the worst type of tortures in the dark, dingy prison cells.
Love always elevates the character of man. It never lowers him, provided love be love
A rebellion is not a revolution. It may ultimately lead to that end.
They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.
Similar quotes
If one girl with courage is a revolution, imagine what feats we can achieve together.
Concerning non-violence: it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.
Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.
I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression.
Wait for the Lord. Behave yourself manfully, and be of good courage. Do not be faithless, but stay in your place and do not turn back.
With the mindset that I give everything I've got for the man that's next to me, not me, cause I know what I got while I'm by myself, but when I step on the field, when I step on the turf, what am I willing to sacrifice?