Every American is at heart an Anarchist. He hates…
““Every American is at heart an Anarchist. He hates constraint, he hates regulation, he hates law. The most elementary arrangements of an ordered community, as we should think, are to him irksome and intolerable encroachments on his liberty. But there is one point on which the conservatism of America would put the very Czar to shame. The American will tolerate much, but he will have no tampering with the rights of property. He may have nothing himself, but he will guard the havings of others with all the jealousy a man usually gives only to his own. In a land where you may be a pauper to-day and a millionaire to-morrow ; where it is the commonest experience to meet a man who has made, and lost, half-a- dozen fortunes in half-a-dozen different professions in as many years — here a man looks upon the wealth of others as held in trust for himself, and will suffer no diminution of its sanctity. Socialism, anarchism, any "ism" that smacks of confiscation or nationalisation, is a far more heinous horror in this land of democracy than anywhere in the king- ridden East””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Americans cherish individual liberty, especially property rights, while rejecting constraints; they protect others’ wealth as fiercely as their own.
In simple terms: Americans value liberty, especially property; tolerate few constraints.
Key Takeaway
Respect and protect property rights.
Themes
liberty
property
anarchism
capitalism
individualism
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
political
historical
When to use this quote
- legal debates
- property disputes
- economic policy
Key Concepts
political theory
economics
social contract
psychology
history
Questions to Reflect On
- Why is property so central?
- How balance liberty with social responsibility?
A Different Perspective
overemphasis on property can ignore communal needs.