Alexandria - Thanks for posting your question here, and you are certainly welcome to use quotes.
A core principle of the Sikh path is Ahimsa. Everyone pretty much understands ahimsa to mean "non-violence" but many people misunderstand what it really means. Most think that non-violence is a passive position where one refuses to hurt any living thing, and it's generally associated with Ghandi and the resistance against the British Raj in India.
As I understand it and live it, and as it is practiced by Sikhs, ahimsa is an active stance. It means that you use the most efficient method to prevent harm taking place. Let's look at an example: You are walking down a street in a city at night and you hear screams from a side alley. As you pass, you see that a man is attacking and attempting to rape a woman in the alley. Now a "non-violent" person might walk by and say to himself "This is that woman's karma. It is the will of God. I shall not involve myself in a violent situation because I believe in non-violence. May both this man and this woman be blessed."
But as a Sikh, I would say something quite different. I would say: "Someone is being harmed in my presence, I must stop the violence by using whatever force is necessary to prevent harm from being done to another." Then I would intervene and stop the attack. The amount of force used, from words, to hand-to-hand combat to weapons is used without any anger or malice with the sole goal being to prevent more violence from being committed. Use of weapons is only acceptable when all other means have failed.
The Sikh understands that ahimsa is the active stance of taking responsibility for yourself and others and consists not simply not harming others, but of actively preventing violence from occurring wherever possible.
Every human being is a sovereign spiritual being. When one human tries to impose his or her will on another and through that causes harm, physically, verbally or by taking away that person's freedom, then it is time to act in defense of that person. Creating peace is a matter of constant alertness. It requires strength, a neutral mind and a deep sense of personal responsibility.... knowing at all times that the other person is you.
That is true non-violence.
