The article explores the principle of nonviolence as a pedagogical perspective, necessary in a present marked by the intertwining of war, exploitation and inequality. The link between nonviolence and education is then developed starting from the classical authors who formulated and practised this perspective: from Aldo Capitini's proposal of nonviolence as an active and collective method based on means-ends consistency and “open” and dialogical education, to the educational practice of Don Lorenzo Milani, who links emancipation and care for the word to criticism and responsibility in the face of injustice. Nonviolence is thus reinterpreted as a resource for critical pedagogy capable of forming vigilant consciences and transforming social reality.