proverb · Words worth keeping
Oppression causeth rebellion.
Oppression causeth rebellion.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Persistent oppressive treatment can provoke resistance. The saying directs attention to the conditions that create conflict rather than blaming only those who resist.
What the words are saying
Oppression is placed before rebellion as a source of pressure and grievance. This can encourage people with authority to examine harmful rules and conduct before assuming dissent is unreasonable. It does not predict that every oppressed person will rebel or justify every action taken in response. A careful reading considers the actual harm and the ways people can seek protection, accountability and fair change.
Everyday example
An institution responds to objections by examining an unfair practice instead of treating the objections themselves as the whole problem.
When to use it
Use it to examine resistance in relation to oppressive conditions.
What it does not mean
Oppression does not determine one response or make every form of retaliation justified.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1194 · Oppression
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English