--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It will probably surprise many who know…" description: "\"It will probably surprise many who know nothing of Proudhon save his declaration that 'property is robbery' to learn that he was perhaps the most vigor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/benjamin-tucker-9951_book_it-will-probably-surprise-many-who-know_1551573.png" --- # It will probably surprise many who know nothing of… ![“It will probably surprise many who know nothing of Proudhon save his declaration that 'property is robbery' to learn that he was perhaps the most vigorous hater of Communism that ever lived on this planet. But the apparent inconsistency vanishes when you read his book and find that by property he…” quote by Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/benjamin-tucker-9951_book_it-will-probably-surprise-many-who-know_1551573.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/benjamin-tucker-9951_book_it-will-probably-surprise-many-who-know_1551573.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/117/benjamin-tucker-9951_book_it-will-probably-surprise-many-who-know_1551573.png) > “It will probably surprise many who know nothing of Proudhon save his declaration that 'property is robbery' to learn that he was perhaps the most vigorous hater of Communism that ever lived on this planet. But the apparent inconsistency vanishes when you read his book and find that by property he means simply legally privileged wealth or the power of usury, and not at all the possession by the labourer of his products.” [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Troudhon condemned property as a legal privilege that enables exploitation, not the laborer’s ownership of their product, revealing his anti‑communist stance. **In simple terms:** Property = privileged wealth, not laborer’s goods. Key Takeaway Recognize how legal structures can create inequality. Themes property inequality political philosophy economics Mood critical analytical thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - labor rights debates - economic policy analysis - social justice activism Key Concepts privilege usury ownership class conflict Questions to Reflect On - How do modern legal definitions of property affect social equity? - Can wealth be redistributed without violating property rights? A Different Perspective His view may overlook communal benefits of shared resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Declaration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration/) [Inconsistency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inconsistency/) [Labourers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labourers/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Robbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robbery/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Usury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usury/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“For property is robbery, but then, we are all robbers or would-be robbers together, and have found it essential to organise our thieving, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/for-property-is-robbery-but-then-we-are-all-robbers-or-would-be/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [I strongly believe that those of us, who are privileged to have wealth, should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azim-premji/i-strongly-believe-that-those-of-us-who-are-privileged-to-have-wealth/) [Azim Premji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azim-premji/) > [And who can suffer injury by just taxation, impartial laws and the application of the Jeffersonian doctrine of equal rights to all and special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/and-who-can-suffer-injury-by-just-taxation-impartial-laws-and-the/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [The invention of money opened a new field to human avarice by giving rise to usury and the practice of lending money at interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-invention-of-money-opened-a-new-field-to-human-avarice-by-giving/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/we-have-come-to-be-one-of-the-worst-ruled-one-of-the-most-completely/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Well, there's a Book that says we're all sinners and I at least chose a sin that's made quite a few people happier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-stanford/well-there-s-a-book-that-says-we-re-all-sinners-and-i-at-least-chose/) [Sally Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-stanford/) > [Political freedom without economic freedom is almost worthless, and it is because the modern proletariat has the one kind of freedom without the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/political-freedom-without-economic-freedom-is-almost-worthless-and-it/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [The free-trade idea, logically applied, will abolish usury; and with usury will disappear the chief bone of contention between labor and capital. But, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-heywood/the-free-trade-idea-logically-applied-will-abolish-usury-and-with/) Ezra Heywood > [USURY is the cancer of the world, which only the surgeon’s knife of Fascism can cut out of the life of the nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/usury-is-the-cancer-of-the-world-which-only-the-surgeon-s-knife-of/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [People sometimes rationalize their greed by saying that it is all for the good of their children but this is nothing but an excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/people-sometimes-rationalize-their-greed-by-saying-that-it-is-all-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [The synonyme of usury is ruin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-synonyme-of-usury-is-ruin/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [My agency in promoting the passage of the National Banking Act was the greatest mistake of my life. It has built up a monopoly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salmon-p-chase/my-agency-in-promoting-the-passage-of-the-national-banking-act-was/) [Salmon P. Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/) > [“Contributors and distributors tend to do better at personal branding than takers and fakers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/contributors-and-distributors-tend-to-do-better-at-personal-branding/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [Extra interest signifies extra risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-of-wellington/extra-interest-signifies-extra-risk/) [Duke of Wellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-of-wellington/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) ## More by Benjamin Tucker > [The claim of the State Socialists, however, that this right would not be exercised in matters pertaining to the individual in the more intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-claim-of-the-state-socialists-however-that-this-right-would-not/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [The shortest way to change a radical into a conservative, a liberal into a tyrant, a man into a beast, is to give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-shortest-way-to-change-a-radical-into-a-conservative-a-liberal/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [The Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. 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