1 definition by m.e.atkinson

By Any Means Necessary. Translation of a phrase coined by the French intellectual Jean Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands.
Popularized by Malcolm X in the last year of his life.
"I was not the one to invent lies: they were created in a society divided by class and each of us inherited lies when we were born. It is not by refusing to lie that we will abolish lies: it is by eradicating class by any means necessary (BAMN)."
-— Jean Paul Sartre, Dirty Hands: act 5, scene 3. 1963

"We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary (BAMN)."
-- Malcolm X, 1965
by m.e.atkinson September 17, 2007
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