Accustomed as we are by heredity prejudices and our…
““Accustomed as we are by heredity prejudices and our unsound education and training to represent ourselves the beneficial hand of Government, legislation and magistracy everywhere, we have come to believe that man would tear his fellow-man to pieces like a wild beast the day the police took his eye off him; that absolute chaos would come about if authority were overthrown during a revolution. And with our eyes shut we pass by thousands and thousands of human groupings which form themselves freely, without any intervention of the law, and attain results infinitely superior to those achieved under governmental tutelage.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote argues that humans naturally organize cooperatively without state control, achieving better outcomes than under government oversight.
In simple terms: People can self‑organize better than governments.
Key Takeaway
Trust community self‑governance.
Themes
anarchy
mutual aid
self‑organization
Mood
optimistic
critical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- grassroots projects
- community gardens
- open‑source development
- disaster relief
- local economies
Key Concepts
anarchism
social evolution
collective intelligence
Questions to Reflect On
- Can self‑governance work in large, diverse societies?
- What safeguards prevent exploitation?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all groups can cooperate equally, ignoring power imbalances.