Quotes: Compromise
3 quotes on this theme, each with its source and insight
The quotes
“For us, compromise never means surrender, but a step forward and some rest. That is all and nothing else.”
Source: To Young Political Workers, 2 February 1931 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence appears verbatim in Bhagat Singh’s dated primary text “To Young Political Workers” (2 Feb 1931) and is preserved in archival editions.
Bhagat Singh reframes compromise as a tactical move: not surrender, but a deliberate step forward and brief rest to continue the struggle. The line appears in his dated 2 February 1931 piece “To Young Political Workers,” where he debates revolutionary strategy.
“In dealing with a man who thinks you a fool it is good sometimes to remind him that you know what he knows but have chosen to appear foolish for the sake of peace”
Source: Arrow of God, 1964 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence is documented in Chinua Achebe’s novel Arrow of God, first published in 1964.
- What remains uncertain
- The commonly circulated wording alters the novel’s phrasing—Achebe’s text reads “a fool,” while many reproductions insert “are a fool.”
Achebe frames restraint as a deliberate social tactic: you may fully grasp another’s point yet choose to hide it to keep peace. In Arrow of God this is strategic humility, a move that protects communal stability rather than simple capitulation.
“Paris is well worth a mass.”
Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The saying is closely linked to Henry IV’s 1593 conversion, but the precise wording is not recorded in his contemporary writings and appears mainly in later anecdotal sources.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution is disputed: some trace the line to François d’O or to a remark in the Sully tradition; reference works like Larousse call it attributed, not proven.
The line captures Henry IV’s pragmatic choice: a public religious concession to secure the throne and calm civil strife. It points to his 1593 abjuration at Saint-Denis and the political need to win Paris. The exact wording, however, survives mainly in later anecdotes, not in a contemporary royal record.