Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.
anarchism anarchist politics

About This Quote

About Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey was a 20th-century American author advocating radical environmentalism. Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Politics — Governance, civic duty, and the structures of power

More quotes by Edward Abbey

“You can't study the darkness by flooding it with light.”
— Edward Abbey
darkness ecology insight nature

“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyong reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall e...”
— Edward Abbey
earth nature paradise

“Water, water, water....There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount , a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing amo...”
— Edward Abbey
desert nature outdoors

“What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse.”
— Edward Abbey
life nature

“If a man's imagination were not so weak, so easily tired, if his capacity for wonder not so limited, he would abandon forever such fantasies of the supernal. He would learn to perceive in water, le...”
— Edward Abbey
atheisn nature

“The weather here is windy, balmy, sometimes wet. Desert springtime, with flowers popping up all over the place, trees leafing out, streams gushing down from the mountains. Great time of year for hi...”
— Edward Abbey
desert nature spring
View all quotes by Edward Abbey →

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“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”
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“Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth.”
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“Immer wieder behauptete Unwahrheiten werden nicht zu Wahrheiten, sondern, was schlimmer ist, zu Gewohnheiten.”
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