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Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky Quotes

Writer

Saul Alinsky was an American writer and community organizer recognized for his seminal work in the realm of social activism. He is predominantly known for his seminal book 'Rules for Radicals', which has profoundly influenced contemporary political tactics and community organizing principles.

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All Rules For Radicals People Mean World Ifs Action Organizer Radical Enemy Ends

Famous Saul Alinsky Quotes

“Organization for action will now and in the decade ahead center upon America's white middle class. That is where the power is. ... Our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and the way of life of the middle class. They have stigmatized it as materialistic, decadent, bourgeois, degenerate, imperialistic, war-mongering, brutalized and corrupt. They are right; but we must begin from where we are if we are to build power for change, and the power and the people are in the middle class majority.”

People Ifs Way War Action America Values White Class Middle Organization Majority Decades Middle Class Rebel Rejected Bourgeois Materialistic Degenerates Rules For Radicals

Author:Saul Alinsky

“The practical revolutionary will understand Goethe's 'conscience is the virtue of observers and not of agents of action'; in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one's individual conscience and the good of mankind.”

Doe Action Individual Enjoy Decision Virtue Mankind Conscience Practicals Agents Luxury Revolutionary Consistent Observers Rules For Radicals

Book:Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

Source: Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“In a fight almost anything goes. It almost reaches the point where you stop to apologize if a chance blow lands above the belt.”

Ifs Fighting Chance Land Blow Apologizing Belts Rules For Radicals Anything Goes

Book:Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

Source: Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

“As an organizer I start from where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be.”

World Reality Organizer Rules For Radicals

Book:Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

Source: Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“Last guys don't finish nice.”

Lasts Guy Enemy Nice

Author:Saul Alinsky

“From the moment an organizer enters a community, he lives, dreams, eats, breathes, sleeps only one thing, and that is to build the mass power base of what he calls the army.”

Moments Dream Community Sleep Interesting One Thing Mass Army Breathe Organizer Rules For Radicals Life Dream Living The Dream

Author:Saul Alinsky

“Power just goes to two poles — to those who've got money, and those who've got people.”

People Two Money Labor

Author:Saul Alinsky

“The establishment can accept being screwed, but not being laughed at”

Accepting Laughed Establishment

Author:Saul Alinsky

“True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism. They cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from within.”

Cutting Hair Revolution Suits Revolutionary Organizer Radicalism Rules For Radicals Short Hair Infiltration Flaunting

Author:Saul Alinsky

“No issue can be negotiated unless you first have the clout to compel negotiation.”

Firsts Issues Negotiation Clout

Author:Saul Alinsky

“Never do for someone what they can do for themselves.”

Author:Saul Alinsky

“The fourth rule is: "Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules." You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”

Book Christian Church Christianity Enemy Fourth Christian Church Rules For Radicals

Book:Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

Source: Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

“Humor is essential to a successful tactician, for the most potent weapons known to mankind are satire and ridicule.”

Known Successful Mankind Essentials Weapons Satire Ridicule

Book:Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

Source: Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.”

People Enjoy Tactics Rules For Radicals

Book:Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

Source: Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for Radicals

“One’s concern with the ethics of means and ends varies inversely with one’s personal interest in the issue.”

Mean Ends Interest Issues Ethics Concern Vary Rules For Radicals Personal Interest

Author:Saul Alinsky

“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)”

People Politics Hurt Support Cutting Picks Direct Criticism Institutions Faster Target Ridicule Freeze Rules For Radicals Personalized

Author:Saul Alinsky

“Spouting quotes from Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara, which are as germane to our highly technological, computerized, cybernetic, nuclearpowered, mass media society as a stagecoach on a jet runway at Kennedy airport.”

Political Politics Technological Quotations Airports Jet Castro Runway Mao Rules For Radicals Stagecoaches

Author:Saul Alinsky

About the Author

Born: January 30, 1909
Died: June 12, 1972
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 117

Related Topics

Rules For Radicals People Mean World Ifs Action Organizer Radical Enemy Ends

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic RadicalsRelated source material

Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals: from Rules for RadicalsRelated source material

Reveille for RadicalsRelated source material

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