Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Saul Alinsky

Quote by Saul Alinsky

“An organizer working in and for an open society is in an ideological dilemma to begin with, he does not have a fixed truth - truth to him is relative and changing; everything to him is relative and changing.... To the extent that he is free from the shackles of dogma, he can respond to the realities of the widely different situations.”

Quote by Saul Alinsky

Create image

Author

Saul Alinsky
Saul Alinsky

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. more

You May Also Like

“A Marxist begins with his prime truth that all evils are caused by the exploitation of the proletariat by the capitalists. From this he logically proceeds to the revolution to end capitalism, then into the third stage of reorganization into a new social order of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and finally the last stage -- the political paradise of communism.”

EndsLastsPoliticalOrderEvilSocialStageRevolutionCapitalismThirdsCommunismParadisePrimeCapitalistDictatorshipExploitationMarxistProletariatSocial OrderRules For RadicalsReorganization
Book:Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals
Create image

“The end is what you want, the means is how you get it. Whenever we think about social change, the question of means and ends arises. The man of action views the issue of means and ends in pragmatic and strategic terms. He has no other problem; he thinks only of his actual resources and the possibilities of various choices of action. He asks of ends only whether they are achievable and worth the cost; of means, only whether they will work. ... The real arena is corrupt and bloody.”

ThinkingMenWantMeanRealEndsProblemActionChoicesAsksSocialTermViewsIssuesPossibilityHe ManCostResourcesVariousWhat You WantAriseBloodyArenaSocial ChangeStrategicPragmaticRules For Radicals
Author:Saul Alinsky
Create image

“From the moment the organizer enters a community he lives, dreams... only one thing and that is to build the mass power base of what he calls the army. Until he has developed that mass power base, he confronts no major issues.... Until he has those means and power instruments, his tactics are very different from power tactics. Therefore, every move revolves around one central point: how many recruits will this bring into the organization, whether by means of local organizations, churches, service groups, labor Unions, corner gangs, or as individuals.”

MeanDifferentMomentsDreamMovingIndividualCommunityChurchIssuesOne ThingGroupsMajorsMassLaborOrganizationArmyInstrumentsUnionsCornersLocalsTacticsGangRecruitOrganizerLabor UnionRules For RadicalsLife DreamLiving The DreamChurch Service
Author:Saul Alinsky
Create image

“The first step in community organization is community disorganization. The disruption of the present organization is the first step toward community organization. Present arrangements must be disorganized if they are to be displace by new patterns.... All change means disorganization of the old and organization of the new.”

IfsFirstsMeanCommunityStepsOrganizationPatternsFirst StepsArrangementsDisruptionRules For RadicalsDisorganizedDisorganization
Author:Saul Alinsky
Create image