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Benjamin Tucker

Benjamin Tucker Quotes

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Benjamin Tucker was an American anarchist, writer, and editor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for his contributions to individualist anarchism, advocating for a stateless, anarchist society through education, cooperation, and voluntary exchange.

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All Liberty Anarchy States Government Men Authority May Anarchist Socialism Anarchism Force Individual Definitions Invaders Said Should Invasion Labor Mean Names

Famous Benjamin Tucker Quotes

“[T]he State . . . gives idle capital the power of increase, and, through interest, rent, profit, and taxes, robs industrious labor of its products.”

Giving States Interest Products Taxes Labor Increase Profit Idle Industrious

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“Anarchism may be described as the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and that the State should be abolished..... Nor does the Anarchistic scheme furnish any code of morals to be imposed upon the individual. "Mind your own business" is its own moral law. Interference with another's business is a crime and the only crime, and as such may properly be resisted.”

Men Should Mind May Doe States Law Individual Moral Crime Affair Doctrine Code Association Schemes Anarchism Interference Own Business Mind Your Own Business Moral Law Mind Your Own

Author:Benjamin Tucker

“But which is the State's essential function, aggression or defence, few seem to know or care.”

Knows States Seems Care Essentials Function Aggression Defence Aquariums

Book:Individual liberty: selections from the writings of Benjamin R. Tucker

Source: Individual liberty: selections from the writings of Benjamin R. Tucker

“The State is said by some to be a necessary evil; it must be made unnecessary.”

Made Said States Evil Anarchy Unnecessary Necessary Evil

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“If the individual has a right to govern himself, all external government is tyranny. Hence the necessity of abolishing the State.”

Ifs States Government Individual Tyranny Anarchy Anarchist

Book:State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

Source: State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

“The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism. Whoso knows what these two schools want and how they propose to get it understands the Socialistic movement. For, just as it has been said that there is no half-way house between Rome and Reason, so it may be said that there is no half-way house between State Socialism and Anarchism.”

Knows Way Want May Has Beens Said Two States Reason School House Names Half Liberty Principles Movement Authority Socialism Rome Propose Anarchism Half Way

Book:State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

Source: State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

“First, then, State Socialism, which may be described as the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed by the government, regardless of individual choice.”

Men Should Firsts May States Government Choices Individual Affair Socialism Doctrine Rehabilitation Swagger Swag Individual Choice

Book:State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

Source: State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

“And this is the Anarchistic definition of the State: the embodiment of the principle of invasion in an individual, or a band of individuals, assuming to act as representatives or masters of the entire people within a given area.”

People States Individual Given Principles Masters Band Areas Assuming Definitions Representatives Invasion Embodiment

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“The Anarchists answer that the abolition of the State will leave in existence a defensive association, resting no longer on a compulsory but on a voluntary basis, which will restrain invaders by any means that may prove necessary.”

May Mean States Answers Existence Prove Bases Association Anarchist Abolition Compulsory Invaders

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“In the matter of the maintenance and rearing of children the Anarchists would neither institute the communistic nursery which the State Socialists favor nor keep the communistic school system which now prevails.”

Children Matter States School Favors Anarchist Institute Maintenance Nursery School System

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism.”

Two States School Names Liberty Principles Authority Socialism Anarchism

Book:State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

Source: State Socialism and Anarchism and Other Essays

“The exercise of authority over the same area by two States is a contradiction.”

Two States Exercise Authority Areas Contradiction

Book:Instead of a Book

Source: Instead of a Book

“For, just as it has been said that there is no half-way house between Rome and Reason, so it may be said that there is no half-way house between State Socialism and Anarchism.”

Way May Has Beens Said States Reason House Half Socialism Rome Anarchism Eugenics Half Way

Author:Benjamin Tucker

About the Author

Born: April 17, 1854
Died: June 22, 1939
Known for: Author
Quotes: 61

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Liberty Anarchy States Government Men Authority May Anarchist Socialism Anarchism Force Individual Definitions Invaders Said Should Invasion Labor Mean Names

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Books & Sources

Instead of a BookRelated source material

State Socialism and Anarchism and Other EssaysRelated source material

Individual liberty: selections from the writings of Benjamin R. TuckerRelated source material

LibertyRelated source material

A Blow at Trial by Jury: An Examination of the Special Jury Law Passed by the New York Legislature in 1896Related source material

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