---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With society and its public, there is no…"
description: "\"With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all that follows.\" — Antonin Artaud"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png"
---

#  With society and its public, there is no longer any other…

![“With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all that follows.” quote by Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png)

> “With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all that follows.”

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

## 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 suggests that modern society communicates primarily through violence and conflict, implying that language itself has been replaced by the sounds and symbols of war.

**In simple terms:** Society now speaks in the language of war.

Key Takeaway

Violence dominates public discourse.

Themes

politics conflict communication societal critique

Mood

somber urgent

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- media coverage of wars
- protests with barricades
- political rhetoric about security

Key Concepts

power dynamics cultural trauma

Practical Applications

- Use non‑violent symbols in activism
- Promote dialogue over aggression

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we reclaim non‑violent language in public life?
- What alternatives to violent symbols exist for expressing dissent?

A Different Perspective

Overstates the ubiquity of violence; many communities still thrive on peaceful exchange.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/)

## Related quotes

> [In our society, I see public media as a lever. It pushes people by elevating them and their sights. It brings them into more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/in-our-society-i-see-public-media-as-a-lever-it-pushes-people-by/)

[Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/)

> [In order to have a society in which public issues can be openly and vigorously debated, it is not necessary to allow the brutalization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/in-order-to-have-a-society-in-which-public-issues-can-be-openly-and/)

[Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/)

> [Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/be-fearless-have-the-courage-to-take-risks-go-where-there-are-no/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

> [If the masses are not thrown a few novels , they may react by throwing up a few barricades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/if-the-masses-are-not-thrown-a-few-novels-they-may-react-by-throwing/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Fashion: a barricade behind which men hide their nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/fashion-a-barricade-behind-which-men-hide-their-nothingness/)

[Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/)

> [History suggests that the disillusioned and the disaffected do not readily take to the streets nor man the barricades to defend a system that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/history-suggests-that-the-disillusioned-and-the-disaffected-do-not/)

[David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/)

> [ What I wanted to do \[in Allied\] was get two characters who fall in love for real, across the barricade, and then it transcends… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-allied-was-get-two-characters-who-fall-in-love/)

[Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/)

> [Resistance here doesn't mean revolution. It doesn't mean storming the barricades. Resistance means using art for the things that it does best, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/resistance-here-doesn-t-mean-revolution-it-doesn-t-mean-storming-the/)

[Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/)

> [I wouldn't be satisfied with a life lived solely on the barricades. I reserve my right to be frivolous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/i-wouldn-t-be-satisfied-with-a-life-lived-solely-on-the-barricades-i/)

[Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/)

> [I must spin good ghosts out of my hope to oppose the hordes at my window. If those who look in see me condescend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/i-must-spin-good-ghosts-out-of-my-hope-to-oppose-the-hordes-at-my/)

[Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/)

> [Books are, at their heart, dangerous. Yes, dangerous. Because they challenge us: our prejudices, our blind spots. They open us to new ideas, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/books-are-at-their-heart-dangerous-yes-dangerous-because-they/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [It often occurs that pride and selfishness are muddled with strength and independence. They are neither equal nor similar; in fact, they are polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-often-occurs-that-pride-and-selfishness-are-muddled-with-strength/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [Librarians see themselves as the guardians of the First Amendment. You got a thousand Mother Joneses at the barricades! I love the librarians, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/librarians-see-themselves-as-the-guardians-of-the-first-amendment-you/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [The class barricades have been stormed by the forces of a broad culture, which is made up of clusters of individuals who have decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/the-class-barricades-have-been-stormed-by-the-forces-of-a-broad/)

[Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/)

> [Owning your own home is America's unique recipe for avoiding revolution and promoting pseudo-equality at the same time. To keep citizens puttering in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/owning-your-own-home-is-america-s-unique-recipe-for-avoiding/)

[Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/)

## More by Antonin Artaud

> [I cannot conceive any work of art as having a separate existence from life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/i-cannot-conceive-any-work-of-art-as-having-a-separate-existence-from/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [“This is why a tainted society has invented psychiatry to defend itself against the investigations of certain superior intellects whose faculties of divination would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/this-is-why-a-tainted-society-has-invented-psychiatry-to-defend/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [“I myself spent nine years in an insane asylum and I never had the obsession of suicide, but I know that each conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/i-myself-spent-nine-years-in-an-insane-asylum-and-i-never-had-the/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [How hard is it, when everything encourages us to sleep, though we may look about us with conscious, clinging eyes, to wake and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/how-hard-is-it-when-everything-encourages-us-to-sleep-though-we-may/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [This is why true beauty never strikes us directly. The setting sun is beautiful because of all it makes us lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/this-is-why-true-beauty-never-strikes-us-directly-the-setting-sun-is/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [And what is an authentic madman? It is a man who preferred to become mad, in the socially accepted sense of the word, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/and-what-is-an-authentic-madman-it-is-a-man-who-preferred-to-become/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [The truth of life lies in the impulsiveness of matter. The mind of man has been poisoned by concepts. Do not ask him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/the-truth-of-life-lies-in-the-impulsiveness-of-matter-the-mind-of-man/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [All writing is garbage. People who come out of nowhere to try and put into words any part of what goes on in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/all-writing-is-garbage-people-who-come-out-of-nowhere-to-try-and-put/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [Squander your riches far from this unfeeling body to which no season, either spiritual or sensual, makes any difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/squander-your-riches-far-from-this-unfeeling-body-to-which-no-season/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [The race of prophets is extinct. Europe is becoming set in its ways, slowly embalming itself beneath the wrappings of its borders, its factories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/the-race-of-prophets-is-extinct-europe-is-becoming-set-in-its-ways/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [When I think about myself, my thought seeks itself in the ether of a new space. I am on the moon as others are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/when-i-think-about-myself-my-thought-seeks-itself-in-the-ether-of-a/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [It is almost impossible to be a doctor and an honest man, but it is obscenely impossible to be a psychiatrist without at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/it-is-almost-impossible-to-be-a-doctor-and-an-honest-man-but-it-is/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [Without sarcasm I sink into chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/without-sarcasm-i-sink-into-chaos/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

> [The actor is an athlete of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/the-actor-is-an-athlete-of-the-heart/)

[Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

[Explore all 114 Antonin Artaud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/)

## More Barricades quotes

> [Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/be-fearless-have-the-courage-to-take-risks-go-where-there-are-no/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

> [The class barricades have been stormed by the forces of a broad culture, which is made up of clusters of individuals who have decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/the-class-barricades-have-been-stormed-by-the-forces-of-a-broad/)

[Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/)

> [Librarians see themselves as the guardians of the First Amendment. You got a thousand Mother Joneses at the barricades! I love the librarians, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/librarians-see-themselves-as-the-guardians-of-the-first-amendment-you/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [It often occurs that pride and selfishness are muddled with strength and independence. They are neither equal nor similar; in fact, they are polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-often-occurs-that-pride-and-selfishness-are-muddled-with-strength/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [Books are, at their heart, dangerous. Yes, dangerous. Because they challenge us: our prejudices, our blind spots. They open us to new ideas, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/books-are-at-their-heart-dangerous-yes-dangerous-because-they/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [I must spin good ghosts out of my hope to oppose the hordes at my window. If those who look in see me condescend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/i-must-spin-good-ghosts-out-of-my-hope-to-oppose-the-hordes-at-my/)

[Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/)

> [I wouldn't be satisfied with a life lived solely on the barricades. I reserve my right to be frivolous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/i-wouldn-t-be-satisfied-with-a-life-lived-solely-on-the-barricades-i/)

[Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/)

> [Resistance here doesn't mean revolution. It doesn't mean storming the barricades. Resistance means using art for the things that it does best, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/resistance-here-doesn-t-mean-revolution-it-doesn-t-mean-storming-the/)

[Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/)

> [ What I wanted to do \[in Allied\] was get two characters who fall in love for real, across the barricade, and then it transcends… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-allied-was-get-two-characters-who-fall-in-love/)

[Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/)

> [History suggests that the disillusioned and the disaffected do not readily take to the streets nor man the barricades to defend a system that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/history-suggests-that-the-disillusioned-and-the-disaffected-do-not/)

[David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/)

> [Fashion: a barricade behind which men hide their nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/fashion-a-barricade-behind-which-men-hide-their-nothingness/)

[Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/)

> [If the masses are not thrown a few novels , they may react by throwing up a few barricades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/if-the-masses-are-not-thrown-a-few-novels-they-may-react-by-throwing/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Owning your own home is America's unique recipe for avoiding revolution and promoting pseudo-equality at the same time. To keep citizens puttering in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/owning-your-own-home-is-america-s-unique-recipe-for-avoiding/)

[Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/)

> [As long as colonialism was allowed to reign and fester in Africa, it was going to be a source of tension, if not war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/as-long-as-colonialism-was-allowed-to-reign-and-fester-in-africa-it/)

[Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/)

> [What is politics, after all, but the compulsion to preside over property and make others people's decisions for them? Liberty, the very opposite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/what-is-politics-after-all-but-the-compulsion-to-preside-over-2/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

Browse all 62 Barricades quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all that follows.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antonin Artaud"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no-longer-any-other-language/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Barricades"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no-longer-any-other-language/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/antonin-artaud-3802_barricades_with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no_115967.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“With society and its public, there is no longer any other language than that of bombs, barricades, and all…” — Antonin Artaud",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Antonin Artaud",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "With society and its public, there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no-longer-any-other-language/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/with-society-and-its-public-there-is-no-longer-any-other-language/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```