<P> By any means necessary is a translation of a phrase used by French intellectual Jean - Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands . It entered the popular civil rights culture through a speech given by Malcolm X at the Organization of Afro - American Unity founding rally on June 28 , 1964 . It is generally considered to leave open all available tactics for the desired ends , including violence ; however , the `` necessary '' qualifier adds a caveat -- if violence is not necessary , then presumably , it should not be used . </P>
<P> By any means necessary is a translation of a phrase used by French intellectual Jean - Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands . It entered the popular civil rights culture through a speech given by Malcolm X at the Organization of Afro - American Unity founding rally on June 28 , 1964 . It is generally considered to leave open all available tactics for the desired ends , including violence ; however , the `` necessary '' qualifier adds a caveat -- if violence is not necessary , then presumably , it should not be used . </P>
where did by any means necessary come from
where did by any means necessary come from
French intellectual Jean - Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands
French intellectual Jean - Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands