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Quote by Errico Malatesta

“Anarchism is the abolition of exploitation and oppression of man by man, that is, the abolition of private property and government; Anarchism is the destruction of misery, of superstitions, of hatred. Therefore, every blow given to the institutions of private property and to the government, every exaltation of the conscience of man, every disruption of the present conditions, every lie unmasked, every part of human activity taken away from the control of the authorities, every augmentation of the spirit of solidarity and initiative, is a step towards Anarchism.”

Quote by Errico Malatesta

Book:The Method of Freedom: An Errico Malatesta Reader

Work

The Method of Freedom: An Errico Malatesta Reader

This reader compiles a selection of essays and speeches by Errico Malatesta, a prominent figure in the anarchist movement. The works delve into Malatesta's beliefs on freedom, revolution, and the nature of society, offering insights into his approach to anarchism and its implications for social change. more

Author

Errico Malatesta

Errico Malatesta was an Italian anarchist philosopher, writer, and activist. Born on December 14, 1853, in Recanati, Italy, he was a prominent figure in the anarchist movement. His work focused on the principles of anarchism, advocating for a society without authority and state. Malatesta was a key figure in the development of anarchist theory and practice, influencing many later anarchists. He passed away on July 22, 1932. more

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“Intolerance of oppression, the desire to be free and develop one personality to its full limits, is not enough to make one an anarchist. That aspiration towards unlimited freedom, if not tempered by a love for mankind and by the desire that all should enjoy equal freedom, may well create rebels who soon become exploiters and tyrants.”

Ifs Should Wells May Enough Desire Enjoy Mankind Personality Limits Equal Oppression Aspiration Rebel Tyrants Intolerance Unlimited Anarchist

Book:Life and Ideas: The Anarchist Writings of Errico Malatesta

Source: Life and Ideas: The Anarchist Writings of Errico Malatesta

“The basic function of the government everywhere in all times, whatever title it adopts and whatever its origin and organisation may be, is always that of oppressing and exploiting the masses, of defending the oppressors and the exploiters: and it's principal, characteristic and indispensable instruments are the police agent and the tax-collector, the soldier and the gaoler - to whom must be invariably added the trader in lies, be he priest of schoolmaster, remunerated or protected by the government to enslave minds and make them docilely accept the yoke.”

“The question may seem embarrassing, but it can be answered in a few words. For two people to live in peace they must both want peace; if one of them insists on using force to oblige the other to work for him and serve him, then the other, if he wishes to retain his dignity as a man and not be reduced to abject slavery, will be obliged in spite of his love of peace, to resist force with adequate means.”

People Ifs Men Want May Mean Two Seems Force Wish Dignity Slavery Spite Embarrassing His Love Adequate Obliged Few Words Adequate Means

Author:Errico Malatesta

“The object of a comedy is not to correct morals or ridicule the vices of society; no, a comedy should depict the discrepancies between life and purpose, should be the fruit of bitter indignation aroused by the degradation of human dignity, should be sarcasm, and not an epigram, convulsive laughter and not an amused grin, should be written with bile and not diluted salt, in a word, it should embrace life in its highest significance.”

“But in this world of morally-warped phenomena there are rare and happy exceptions of truly great magnitude, which always pay dearly for their exclusiveness and fall a prey to their own superiority. Natures of genius, themselves unaware of their genius, they are relentlessly killed by an unconscious society as an expiatory sacrifice to its own sins … Such is Pushkin’s Tatiana.”

World Fall Sin Pay Sacrifice This World Genius Unconscious Exception Superiority Prey Magnitude Pushkin

Author:Vissarion Belinsky

“In order to have a literature, a nation must live, not merely on the practical, but on the moral and spiritual plane as well, contributing through its national life to the development of some side of the universal spirit of man.”

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“It is apparent at first glance that in The Double there is more creative talent and depth of thought than in Poor Folk. But meanwhile the consensus of St. Petersburg readers is that this novel is intolerably long-winded and therefore terribly boring.”

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Author:Vissarion Belinsky

“The revolutionary can have no friendship or attachment, except for those who have proved by their actions that they, like him, are dedicated to revolution.”

Action Revolution Revolutionary Attachment Dedicated

Author:Sergey Nechayev

“The revolutionary despises public opinion. He despises and hates the existing social morality in all its manifestations. For him, morality is everything which contributes to the triumph of the revolution. Immoral and criminal is everything that stands in its way.”

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Author:Sergey Nechayev

“The Revolutionist is a doomed man. He has no private interests, no affairs, sentiments, ties, property nor even a name of his own. His entire being is devoured by one purpose, one thought, one passion - the revolution. Heart and soul, not merely by word but by deed, he has severed every link with the social order and with the entire civilized world; with the laws, good manners, conventions, and morality of that world. He is its merciless enemy and continues to inhabit it with only one purpose - to destroy it.”