To break up the superstition and worship of legality…
““To break up the superstition and worship of legality should be our aim. Nothing would please me more than to see Inspector Heat and his likes take to shooting us down in broad daylight with the approval of the public. Half our battle would be won then; the desintegration of the old morality would have set in in its very temple. That is what you ought to aim at. But you revolutionists will never understand that. You plan the future, you lose yourselves in reveries of economical systems derived from what is; where as what's wanted is a clean sweep and a clear start for a new conception of life. That sort of future will take care of itself if you will only make room for it. Therefore I would shovel my stuff in heaps at the corners of the streets if I had enough for that; and as I haven't, I do my best by perfecting a really dependable detonator.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Violence under public approval can dismantle old morality, but such radical means risk losing humanity.
In simple terms: Using terror to reset society may destroy more than it builds.
Key Takeaway
Consider ethical means of change.
Themes
politics
morality
revolution
violence
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- political activism
- public protest
- authoritarian regimes
- radical movements
Key Concepts
anarchism
ethics
social engineering
Questions to Reflect On
- Is violent upheaval justified?
- What non‑violent alternatives exist?
A Different Perspective
Violence often breeds more oppression.