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Anarchy, when it works to destroy authority in all its aspects, when it demands the abrogation of laws and the abolition of the mechanism that serves to impose them, when it refuses all hierarchical organization and preaches free agreement — at the same time strives to maintain and enlarge the precious kernel of social customs without which no human or animal society can exist. Only, instead of demanding that those social customs should be maintained through the authority of a few, it demands it from the continued action of all.
PETER KROPOTKIN, Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal
There is more than one kind of freedom... Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it.
MARGARET ATWOOD, The Handmaid's Tale
Neither a life of anarchy nor one beneath a despot should you praise; to all that lies in the middle a god has given excellence.
Lawlessness is lawlessness. Anarchy is anarchy is anarchy. Neither race nor color nor frustration is an excuse for either lawlessness or anarchy.
THURGOOD MARSHALL, speech, Aug. 15, 1966
- Who says anarchy, says negation of government;
- Who says negation of government, says affirmation of the people;
- Who says affirmation of the people, says individual liberty;
- Who says individual liberty, says sovereignty of each;
- Who says sovereignty of each, says equality;
- Who says equality, says solidarity or fraternity;
- Who says fraternity, says social order.
ANSELME BELLEGARRIGUE, Anarchist Manifesto
There is no greater evil than anarchy.
The fear of freedom is strong in us. We call it chaos or anarchy, and the words are threatening. We live in a true chaos of contradicting authorities, an age of conformism without community, of proximity without communication. We could only fear chaos if we imagined that it was unknown to us, but in fact we know it very well.
GERMAINE GREER, intro, The Female Eunuch
- Better the rule of One, whom all obey,
- Than to let clamorous demagogues betray
- Our freedom with the kiss of anarchy.
OSCAR WILDE, Libertatis Sacra Fames
To hide behind culture or tradition to justify anarchy is a gross insult to the very people whose culture or tradition may be paraded to glorify criminal conduct.
MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY, speech, Jul. 15, 2005
I am an anarchist in my personal life ... but I don't feel we have evolved far enough as a species to make anarchy work in society itself. We still need government to transfer the wealth from those who have too much to those who have too little, to make sure important projects get done, and keep territorial humans from screwing over and killing each other.
JELLO BIAFRA, speech, June 2000
Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy; as religion, and not atheism, is the true remedy of superstition.
EDMUND BURKE, speech on conciliation with America, 1775
They that are discontented under monarchy, call it tyranny; and they that are displeased with aristocracy, call it oligarchy: so also, they which find themselves grieved under a democracy, call it anarchy, which signifies the want of government; and yet I think no man believes, that want of government, is any new kind of government.
Are not laws dangerous which inhibit the passions? Compare the centuries of anarchy with those of the strongest legalism in any country you like and you will see that it is only when the laws are silent that the greatest actions appear.
MARQUIS DE SADE, L'Histoire de Juliette
We have only one alternative: either to build a functioning industrial society or see freedom itself disappear in anarchy and tyranny.
PETER DRUCKER, The Future of Industrial Man
- Turning and turning in the widening gyre
- The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
- Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
- Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, The Second Coming
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