I went West and took part in the strike of the machinists - the Southern Pacific Railroad, the corporation that swung California by its golden tail, that controlled its legislature, its farmers, its preachers, its workers.
Mother JonesRead
Injustice boils in men's hearts as does steel in its cauldron, ready to pour forth, white hot, in the fullness of time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Injustice can create deep-seated anger and resentment, which will eventually lead to an outcry for change.
This quote by Mother Jones suggests that the feelings of injustice simmer quietly within individuals, similar to how steel is heated in a cauldron. Eventually, these feelings will reach a tipping point where they will erupt, demanding attention and action against the injustices being faced, indicating that patience amidst suffering can lead to powerful change.
Themes
InjusticeChangeAngerSocial JusticeActivism
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech at a social justice rally to inspire action against inequality.
More from Mother Jones
All quotes βOut of labor's struggle in Arizona came better conditions for the workers, who must everywhere, at all times, under advantage and disadvantage work out their own salvation
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Some day the workers will take possession of your city hall, and when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit!
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I believe that movements to suppress wrongs can be carried out under the protection of our flag.
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Your ancestors fought for you to have a share in that institution over there. It's yours. See the school board, and every Friday night hold your meetings there. Have your wives clean it up Saturday morning for the children to enter Monday. Your organization is not a praying institution. It's a fighting institution. It's an educational institution along industrial lines. Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!
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Little girls and boys, barefooted, walked up and down between the endless rows of spindles, reaching thin little hands into the machinery to repair snapped threads
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