One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time.

Hear the sharp and weary words of Robert Kennedy: “One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time.” Though spoken with brevity, they resound with the weight of centuries of struggle between vision and resistance, between the call to progress and the voice of opposition. Kennedy, a man who walked in the midst of turmoil, knew well that no leader, no movement, no cause escapes the company of those who stand eternally against. For there has always been, and always will be, a portion of mankind that resists not out of reasoned judgment, but out of habit, fear, or defiance itself.

The ancients, too, recognized this truth. In the assemblies of Athens, every proposal—no matter how noble—met opposition. In the Senate of Rome, every law carried its adversaries, some out of principle, others out of rivalry. Thus Kennedy’s words are not new, but an echo of wisdom long known: that among the people, there will always be those whose stance is permanent negation. They are the eternal dissenters, the ones who say “no” as if it were their birthright, who find their strength not in creation, but in resistance to change.

Consider the tale of Abraham Lincoln, who sought to preserve the Union and abolish slavery. Even as his cause grew more just and urgent, there were always men—perhaps one-fifth, perhaps more—who stood against him, no matter his words or deeds. They railed in newspapers, they obstructed in Congress, they jeered in the streets. Some opposed out of prejudice, some out of stubborn loyalty to the past, some simply out of hatred for Lincoln himself. Yet Lincoln pressed onward, knowing that progress is not measured by the absence of opposition, but by the courage to advance in spite of it.

Kennedy himself, in the turbulent 1960s, faced this same reality. When he spoke for civil rights, for justice, for peace, there were always those who shouted him down. To some, his every word was suspect, his every action opposed. He understood, as his quote reveals, that universal approval is impossible. There will always be a faction of humanity bound to resist. To recognize this is not despair, but clarity: it frees the leader from the illusion of pleasing all, and strengthens him to fight for what is right, even when the chorus of opposition never ceases.

The wisdom here is both sobering and liberating. It reminds us that resistance is natural; no cause, no matter how noble, will find complete agreement. The presence of detractors does not prove the cause unworthy. Indeed, the greatest causes in history—abolition, suffrage, independence, civil rights—were opposed fiercely by those who stood against everything. To despair at their opposition is to misunderstand the course of human events. To endure it is to walk the path of every hero who came before.

The lesson for us is clear: do not waste your strength seeking universal approval. Do not falter when opposition rises, for it will always be there. Instead, focus your energy on those who can be moved, those who can be inspired, those who long for a better world but need courage to step forward. The one-fifth who oppose everything may never change, but the rest may yet be persuaded, and with them, great change can be built.

So let Kennedy’s words endure as both warning and encouragement: “One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time.” Accept this truth, and be freed from the chains of discouragement. If you face resistance, know you walk in the company of all who ever dared to change the world. Press onward, not seeking to silence every critic, but to fulfill the vision of justice, progress, and hope. For history is not written by those who yielded to opposition, but by those who, despite it, never ceased to fight for what was right.