---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The two principles referred to are…"
description: "\"The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represen..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png"
---

#  The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty…

![“The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism.” quote by Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png)

> “The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism.”

[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.

The quote contrasts authority (state socialism) with liberty (anarchism) as opposing social philosophies.

**In simple terms:** Authority versus liberty, represented by state socialism and anarchism.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the trade‑off between control and freedom.

Themes

politics ideology freedom authority socialism

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- activism
- academic study
- public discourse

Key Concepts

Anarchism State Socialism libertarianism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prioritize authority and liberty in society?
- Can a hybrid model work?

A Different Perspective

Both systems can produce oppression if not balanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anarchism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchism/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Schools Socialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schools-socialistic-3273866/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Socialism Anarchism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism-anarchism-990021/) [Socialistic Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialistic-thought-2492269/) [State Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-socialism-329733/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-two-principles-referred-to-are-authority-and-liberty-and-the-2/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [For, just as it has been said that there is no half-way house between Rome and Reason, so it may be said that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/for-just-as-it-has-been-said-that-there-is-no-half-way-house-between/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Big Business and State Socialism are very much alike, especially Big Business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/big-business-and-state-socialism-are-very-much-alike-especially-big/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The term "state socialism" is not precise. Under this term many understand an order under which a certain part of the wealth, sometimes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/the-term-state-socialism-is-not-precise-under-this-term-many/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [First, then, State Socialism, which may be described as the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed by the government, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/first-then-state-socialism-which-may-be-described-as-the-doctrine/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [“Every American is at heart an Anarchist. He hates constraint, he hates regulation, he hates law. The most elementary arrangements of an ordered community,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-warrington-steevens/every-american-is-at-heart-an-anarchist-he-hates-constraint-he-hates/)

[George Warrington Steevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-warrington-steevens/)

> [“And secondly, admit defeat. Socialism (or anarchism) is not going to happen. And there is no national resurgence of organic community coming our way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanzi-freinacht/and-secondly-admit-defeat-socialism-or-anarchism-is-not-going-to/)

[Hanzi Freinacht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanzi-freinacht/)

> [“The right of self-determination of the peoples includes the right to a state of their own. However, the foundation of a state does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ocalan/the-right-of-self-determination-of-the-peoples-includes-the-right-to/)

[Abdullah Öcalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ocalan/)

> [“Vladimir Ilyich (Lenin), your concrete actions are completely unworthy of the ideas you pretend to hold. Is it possible that you do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-alexeyevich-kropotkin/vladimir-ilyich-lenin-your-concrete-actions-are-completely-unworthy/)

[Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-alexeyevich-kropotkin/)

> [With a profound first-hand knowledge of participants, encompassing linguistic competence, and engaging prose, Padraic Kenney recreates the simultaneously serious and playful currents of East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-maier/with-a-profound-first-hand-knowledge-of-participants-encompassing/)

[Charles S. Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-maier/)

> [The society which we have built can in no way be termed "state socialism."The social organization which we have created can be termed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/the-society-which-we-have-built-can-in-no-way-be-termed-state/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [We are living in a highly organized state of socialism. The state is all; the individual is of importance only as he contributes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-baruch/we-are-living-in-a-highly-organized-state-of-socialism-the-state-is/)

[Bernard Baruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-baruch/)

> [The chief difference between free capitalism and State socialism seems to be this: that under the former a man pursues his own advantage openly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-chief-difference-between-free-capitalism-and-state-socialism/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Many understand "state socialism" in this way. Sometimes a system is concealed behind this term in which the capitalist state, in the interests of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/many-understand-state-socialism-in-this-way-sometimes-a-system-is/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [“Collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the Spanish Inquisitors never dreamed of. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/collectivism-is-not-inherently-democratic-but-on-the-contrary-gives/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

## 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. They believe that 'the best government is that which governs least,' and that which governs least is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-anarchists-are-simply-unterrified-jeffersonian-democrats-they/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Socialism, on the contrary, extends its function to the description of society as it should be, and the discovery of the means of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/socialism-on-the-contrary-extends-its-function-to-the-description-of/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [We are here, on earth. Not one of us has any right to the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/we-are-here-on-earth-not-one-of-us-has-any-right-to-the-earth/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [The cost of justice can be justly paid only by the invader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-cost-of-justice-can-be-justly-paid-only-by-the-invader/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [For, just as it has been said that there is no half-way house between Rome and Reason, so it may be said that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/for-just-as-it-has-been-said-that-there-is-no-half-way-house-between/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Thus, the same blow that strikes interest down will send wages up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/thus-the-same-blow-that-strikes-interest-down-will-send-wages-up/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [There are some troubles from which mankind can never escape … have never claimed that liberty will bring perfection; they simply say that its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/there-are-some-troubles-from-which-mankind-can-never-escape-have/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [The government is a tyrant living by theft, and therefore has no business to engage in any business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-government-is-a-tyrant-living-by-theft-and-therefore-has-no/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Capitalism is at least tolerable, which cannot be said of Socialism or Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/capitalism-is-at-least-tolerable-which-cannot-be-said-of-socialism-or/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [This, then, is the Anarchistic definition of government: the subjection of the non-invasive individual to an external will...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/this-then-is-the-anarchistic-definition-of-government-the-subjection/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Therefore coercion of the non-invasive, when justifiable at all, is to be justified on the ground that it secures, not a minimum of '…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/therefore-coercion-of-the-non-invasive-when-justifiable-at-all-is-to/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Laissez Faire was very good sauce for the goose, labor, but was very poor sauce for the gander, capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/laissez-faire-was-very-good-sauce-for-the-goose-labor-but-was-very/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Anarchism is for liberty, and neither for nor against anything else. Anarchy is the mother of co-operation, yes, just as liberty is the mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/anarchism-is-for-liberty-and-neither-for-nor-against-anything-else/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

[Explore all 69 Benjamin Tucker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

## More Anarchism quotes

> [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [Anarchism is a definite intellectual current in the life of our times, whose adherents advocate the abolition of economic monopolies and of all political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/anarchism-is-a-definite-intellectual-current-in-the-life-of-our-times/)

[Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/)

> [“Do not all theists insist that there can be no morality, no justice, honesty or fidelity without the belief in a Divine Power? Based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/do-not-all-theists-insist-that-there-can-be-no-morality-no-justice/)

[Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/)

> [“Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/does-it-follow-that-i-reject-all-authority-perish-the-thought-in-the/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Anarchism as a political philosophy seeks to dissolve all forms of authority and power, and if possible, wishes their complete abolition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/anarchism-as-a-political-philosophy-seeks-to-dissolve-all-forms-of/)

[Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/)

> [And now, what has Anarchism to say to all this, this bankruptcy of republicanism, this modern empire that has grown up on the ruins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/and-now-what-has-anarchism-to-say-to-all-this-this-bankruptcy-of/)

[Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/)

> [I see anarchism as the theoretical ideal to which we are all gradually evolving to a point where everybody can tell the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-see-anarchism-as-the-theoretical-ideal-to-which-we-are-all/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [Anarchists are opposed to violence; everyone knows that. The main plank of anarchism is the removal of violence from human relations. It is life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/anarchists-are-opposed-to-violence-everyone-knows-that-the-main-plank/)

[Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/)

> [“They knew that their anarchism was the product of a very high civilization, of a complex diversified culture, of a stable economy and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/they-knew-that-their-anarchism-was-the-product-of-a-very-high/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [Anarchism means voluntary co-operation instead of forced participation. It means harmony and order in place of interference and disorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-berkman/anarchism-means-voluntary-co-operation-instead-of-forced/)

[Alexander Berkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-berkman/)

> [The Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. They believe that 'the best government is that which governs least,' and that which governs least is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-anarchists-are-simply-unterrified-jeffersonian-democrats-they/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [We must therefore turn to history for enlightenment; here we find that none of the proclaimed anarchist groups correspond to the libertarian position, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/we-must-therefore-turn-to-history-for-enlightenment-here-we-find-that/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [“I became an anarchist very early on. Anarchism, in my mind, meant taking democracy seriously and organizing prefiguratively- that is, in a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrej-gruba-i/i-became-an-anarchist-very-early-on-anarchism-in-my-mind-meant-taking/)

[Andrej Grubačić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrej-gruba-i/)

[Browse all 388 Anarchism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Benjamin Tucker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-two-principles-referred-to-are-authority-and-liberty-and-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anarchism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-two-principles-referred-to-are-authority-and-liberty-and-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/benjamin-tucker-9951_anarchism_the-two-principles-referred-to-are-autho_1153716.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic…” — Benjamin Tucker",
                "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": "Benjamin Tucker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The two principles referred to are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-two-principles-referred-to-are-authority-and-liberty-and-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-two-principles-referred-to-are-authority-and-liberty-and-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
