Home / Quotes / Quote by David Graeber

Quote by David Graeber

“Anarchism is surprisingly effective in solving actual problems largely because anarchists have thought a lot about solving actual problems on a micro level in ways that other political ideologies don't really feel they have to until after they seize state power.”

Quote by David Graeber

Author

David Graeber is an American anthropologist known for his research on economic anthropology, anarchism, and critical theory. His work explores the issues of economic relationships and power structures in modern society. more

You May Also Like

“The best way to think about anarchism is as a combination of three levels. On the one hand, the sort of instinctual revulsion against forms of inequality in power; on the other hand, a reappraisal of what one is already doing in egalitarian relations; and then the projection of these principles on all sorts of relations.”

Thinking Way Hands Form Three Levels Principles Relation Best Way Inequality Combination Projection Anarchism Revulsion

Author:David Graeber

“What we're already doing is communism. The first step we have to make is to realize that we're already closer to it than we think.”

Thinking Firsts Realizing Steps Communism First Steps

Author:David Graeber

“We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live communism and anarchism in a million forms everyday.”

Form Millions Capitalism Complexes Everyday Communism Capitalist Anarchism Totality Complex Systems

Author:David Graeber

“Neoliberalism isn't an economic program - it's a political program designed to produce hopelessness and kill any future alternatives.”

Political Economic Produce Program Alternatives Hopelessness Neoliberalism

Author:David Graeber

“Look at labor policy. What's the point of making everybody work too much? It's not very useful. It is destroying the planet, actually. But it's great at keeping people off the streets.”

People Looks Too Much Streets Policy Planets Labor Destroying

Author:David Graeber

“What about precarious labor? It's actually not the most efficient form of labor at all. They were much more efficient when they had loyalty to their workers and people were allowed to be creative and contribute - you know that what precarious labor does is that it's the best weapon ever made to depoliticize labor. They're always putting the political in front of the economic.”

People Knows Doe Made Form Political Creative Economic Fronts Weapons Labor Workers Loyalty Efficient Be Creative Precarious

Author:David Graeber

“You would think that if neoliberals were in any way honest, after the collapse of the Soviet Union the first thing to do is get rid of the Red Army and the KGB, and build up the economy. Instead, they just get rid of the economy and keep the military and the KGB.”

Ifs Thinking Way Firsts Economy Honest Military Red Army Unions Things To Do Soviet Collapse Soviet Union Kgb Red Army

Author:David Graeber

“The example of Russia reminds us that keeping up that enormous dead weight of the security apparatus required to enforce the ideological conformity to preempt anything that looks like an alternative or a social movement is destroying capitalism.”

Looks Social Security Example Movement Capitalism Weight Russia Enormous Alternatives Conformity Destroying Ideological Social Movements

Author:David Graeber

“I have become very critical of the whole book award system and could preach on that subject for quite a while, but I do know what an award can mean to a writer early in her career. It can give an essential validation.”

Knows Giving Mean Book Whole Careers Subjects Essentials Critical Awards Validation

Author:Ursula K. Le Guin

“It's probably simply a matter of temperament that I never stopped to wonder if I could "match" what I had done, never choked off my writing by competing with myself, or with anybody else for that matter. My ambition was absolutely centered on the work itself, never on what it would bring me, or "who" it would make me. I never cared about that at all.”

Ifs Writing Matter Done Wonder Ambition If I Could Competing Temperament My Ambition

Author:Ursula K. Le Guin