You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.
Pablo Neruda, born in Chile in 1904 as Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, is generally considered the greatest Spanish-language poet of his time. Though he is often remembered for his exquisite love poems, his later work was deeply political. After being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971, his heartfelt acceptance speech explored the connection between poetry and politics. Given his passion for social justice, this quote is generally understood as an encouraging nod to revolutionaries the world over.