I have never had a vote, and I have raised hell all over this country. You don't need a vote to raise hell! You need convictions and a voice!
Mary Harris JonesRead
The miners lost because they had only the constitution. The other side had bayonets. In the end, bayonets always win.
Interpretation
Power and force often overpower legal rights and principles.
This quote by Mary Harris Jones highlights the harsh reality that, in conflicts, sheer force and might can triumph over lawful and constitutional rights. It reflects on the struggles faced by miners in their fight for justice, suggesting that without the power to enforce their rights, they remain vulnerable to oppression.
In practice
In a discussion about labor rights, I would use this quote to illustrate the struggles workers face.
Had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends...every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment.
Dangers by being despised grow great.
This is rather different from the receptions I used to get fifty years ago. They threw things at me then but they were not roses.
It isn't until you begin to fight in your own cause that you (a) become really committed to winning, and (b) become a genuine ally of other people struggling for their freedom.
We have not journeyed all this way because we are made of sugar candy.
The yielding of the weak is the concession to fear.
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