What did Malcolm X mean by the phrase “by any means necessary”?

The phrase “by any means necessary,” as used by Malcolm X, represented his rejection of the nonviolent strategies advocated by mainstream civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr..12

In contrast to the focus on integration, civil disobedience, and redemptive suffering, Malcolm X argued that Black people in America should secure their rights, identity, and independence through whatever actions were required. He believed that the struggle for Black nationalism and liberation was a revolutionary process, famously stating that "there is no such thing as a nonviolent revolution" because revolutions are inherently bloody and destructive to the systems they overturn.123

Ultimately, the phrase encapsulated his commitment to self-defense and his belief that the most critical issues facing African Americans—such as integrity and autonomy—transcended the goals of simple integration or voting rights. His radical stance provided a foundational intellectual framework for the Black Power movement that emerged in the late 1960s.134