“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” - Abraham Lincoln

I’m laughing at reading everybody’s responses and okay I get the irony. But I still think he would’ve said it because the larger point remains. Transformations created at the ballot box are more profound for a society in the long run than is the assassination of any one person.

Transformation doesn't tend to happen at the ballot box at all, but rather already elected officials cede to the pressure created by direct action. That means strikes. That means riots. That means things that might be Improper and Uncomfortable.