Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government or other authority. It is often nonviolent and can be seen as a form of peaceful protest or nonviolent resistance. Civil disobedience is typically undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or government policies. It is a symbolic or ritualistic violation of the law, and those who engage in it are willing to accept the legal consequences of their actions as evidence of their fidelity to the rule of law
. Mahatma Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau are well-known for their advocacy and practice of civil disobedience
