The novelist Salman Rushdie lived under a death threat for many years after the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini ordered his death in 1989. He was interviewed by the New York Times.
Something he said struck a chord:
Q. What advice do you have for someone who might find himself under a similar threat?
A. Two bits of advice, really. One has to do with the head and the other is practical. The thing in the head is: Don’t compromise. It’s a question of self-knowledge, knowing who you are And why you did what you did. Stand up for it. The other thing is that if I were to do it again, I would refuse the hiding. I’d say: “I’ve got a house, I’m going home. Protect me.”
None of us is under a death threat. Thank you-know-who. But there is an idea here that we must listen to: “Don’t compromise. It’s a question of self-knowledge, knowing who you are, and why you did what you did. Stand up for it.”
Stand up for it. Do not be afraid. Do not live in fear. Do not cower.
In unity there is strength.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Don’t compromise with who you are and what you stand for–which does not mean that you never have to compromises along the way to where you are heading. But once you compromise you beliefs–than who knows where you are heading–including yourself. Maybe we have to always remember the context.
Another thought before I quit for the day. Maybe s “no compromise” is also a grand stand to take when you are the only one who will suffer any of the consequences. Once we join with others, it gets tougher, but also more powerful. That’s the trade-off. That’s what was so brave about Lewis postponing the vote. The bargaining committee had no right to make compromises without consulting the “we” who were affected.
I needed to read this today after revisiting the past and again feeling the judgment passed upon me for not compromising when it came to the civil rights of my students.
The desire for accountability and standardization stifles my ability, as a teacher, to have unity with my peers. Competition was fun in the pool, when I swam in a race. Education is neither competitive or a race. Unity is truly the only resource out profession has if we wish to see worthwhile changes and true reforms.