--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who negates present society, and seeks…" description: "\"He who negates present society, and seeks social conditions based on the sharing of property, is a revolutionary whether he calls himself an anarchist ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg" --- # He who negates present society, and seeks social… ![“He who negates present society, and seeks social conditions based on the sharing of property, is a revolutionary whether he calls himself an anarchist or a communist.” quote by Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg) > “He who negates present society, and seeks social conditions based on the sharing of property, is a revolutionary whether he calls himself an anarchist or a communist.” [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anyone opposing current society and advocating shared property is a revolutionary, regardless of label. **In simple terms:** Shared ownership defines revolution. Key Takeaway Support equitable systems. Themes politics revolution property sharing Mood critical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - community organizing - education Key Concepts anarchism communism social theory Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect movement unity? - What alternatives to property exist? A Different Perspective Labels can cause division. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anarchist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchist/) [Anarchist Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchist-communist-3231752/) [Calls Anarchist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calls-anarchist-4438156/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Revolutionary Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary-calls-4438157/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [It sets its face rightfully against the doctrines of the Anarchist and the Communist, who seek to solve the social problems not by patient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cabot-lodge/it-sets-its-face-rightfully-against-the-doctrines-of-the-anarchist/) [Henry Cabot Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cabot-lodge/) > [The 'Bolton News' is the best place for online comments. They say I'm an absolute idiot and a communist anarchist. I was never an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-peake/the-bolton-news-is-the-best-place-for-online-comments-they-say-i-m-an/) [Maxine Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-peake/) > [The aims of anarchists and true communists are identical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-aims-of-anarchists-and-true-communists-are-identical/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [The judge turned his back towards me, sitting back on his judge's chair, while I was in the witness stand being questioned. The whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-zundel/the-judge-turned-his-back-towards-me-sitting-back-on-his-judge-s/) [Ernst Zundel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-zundel/) > [No more painters, no more scribblers, no more musicians, no more sculptors, no more religions, no more royalists, no more radicals, no more imperialists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/no-more-painters-no-more-scribblers-no-more-musicians-no-more/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) > [During the first two months of the war it was the Anarchists more than anyone else who had saved the situation, and much later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/during-the-first-two-months-of-the-war-it-was-the-anarchists-more/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The education we all receive from the State, at school and after, has so warped our minds that the very notion of freedom ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/the-education-we-all-receive-from-the-state-at-school-and-after-has/) [Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/) > [The boycott of parliamentary institutions on the part of anarchists and semianarchists is dictated by a desire not to submit their weakness to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-boycott-of-parliamentary-institutions-on-the-part-of-anarchists/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [The anarchists, on behalf of the proletariat, therefore consider it necessary to show the proletariat that it will have to win a gigantic battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-anarchists-on-behalf-of-the-proletariat-therefore-consider-it/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Is anarchism desirable? Well, who does not seek freedom? What man, unless willing to declare himself in bondage, would care to call any control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/is-anarchism-desirable-well-who-does-not-seek-freedom-what-man-unless/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Fortunately, no country was ever more suited for anarchist agitation than present-day America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/fortunately-no-country-was-ever-more-suited-for-anarchist-agitation/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Anarchists prepare for social revolution and use every means - speech, writing, or deed, whichever is more to the point; to accelerate revolutionary development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/anarchists-prepare-for-social-revolution-and-use-every-means-speech/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Anarchists are socialists because they want the improvement of society, and they are communists because they are convinced that such a transformation of society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/anarchists-are-socialists-because-they-want-the-improvement-of/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Sense About Science is much more than an innocent fact-checking service. It is a spin-off of a bizarre political network that began life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/sense-about-science-is-much-more-than-an-innocent-fact-checking/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [Besides, there is more that binds us to Bolshevism than separates us from it. There is, above all, genuine, revolutionary feeling, which is alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/besides-there-is-more-that-binds-us-to-bolshevism-than-separates-us/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) ## More by Johann Most > [The aims of anarchists and true communists are identical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-aims-of-anarchists-and-true-communists-are-identical/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [They make revolutionary propaganda because they know the privileged class can never be overturned peacefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/they-make-revolutionary-propaganda-because-they-know-the-privileged/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Anarchists are socialists because they want the improvement of society, and they are communists because they are convinced that such a transformation of society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/anarchists-are-socialists-because-they-want-the-improvement-of/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [As set forth by theologians, the idea of 'God' is an argument that assumes its own conclusions, and proves nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/as-set-forth-by-theologians-the-idea-of-god-is-an-argument-that/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [If we hope and even assume that the social question will be answered through communism, and not in this or that country but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/if-we-hope-and-even-assume-that-the-social-question-will-be-answered/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Is anarchism possible? The failure of attempts to attain freedom does not mean the cause is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/is-anarchism-possible-the-failure-of-attempts-to-attain-freedom-does/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Above all, what socialist, without flushing with shame, maintains he is not a revolutionary? We say: none!.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/above-all-what-socialist-without-flushing-with-shame-maintains-he-is/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Anarchists prepare for social revolution and use every means - speech, writing, or deed, whichever is more to the point; to accelerate revolutionary development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/anarchists-prepare-for-social-revolution-and-use-every-means-speech/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Among all mental diseases that have been systematically inoculated into the human cranium, the religious pest is the most abominable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/among-all-mental-diseases-that-have-been-systematically-inoculated/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [The aims of anarchists and true communists are identical. The anarchists, on behalf of the proletariat, therefore consider it necessary to show the proletariat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-aims-of-anarchists-and-true-communists-are-identical-the/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [The god of the Christians, as we have seen, is the god who makes promises only to break them; who sends them pestilence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-god-of-the-christians-as-we-have-seen-is-the-god-who-makes/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [It is the lash of hunger which compels the poor man to submit. In order to live he must sell - 'voluntarily' sell -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/it-is-the-lash-of-hunger-which-compels-the-poor-man-to-submit-in/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [Fortunately, no country was ever more suited for anarchist agitation than present-day America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/fortunately-no-country-was-ever-more-suited-for-anarchist-agitation/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [While we have entertained the contention that a deed may make more propaganda than hundreds of speeches, thousands of articles, and tens of thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/while-we-have-entertained-the-contention-that-a-deed-may-make-more/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) > [The existing system will be quickest and most radically overthrown by the annihilation of its exponents. Therefore, massacres of the enemies of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/the-existing-system-will-be-quickest-and-most-radically-overthrown-by/) [Johann Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) [Explore all 24 Johann Most quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/) ## More Anarchist quotes > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. 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He gave the lie to bookselling as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-hay/bruno-was-a-musician-with-the-temperament-of-an-anarchist-and-the/) [Sheridan Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-hay/) > [In the sixties, during the Vietnam war, when anarchists and pacifists and socialists, Democrats and Republicans, decent-hearted Americans, all recoiled with horror at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-sixties-during-the-vietnam-war-when-anarchists-and-pacifists/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Creativity comes by breaking the rules, by saying that you're in love with the anarchist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/creativity-comes-by-breaking-the-rules-by-saying-that-you-re-in-love/) [Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/) > [The modern day anarchists known as the Tea Party, they believe in no government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/the-modern-day-anarchists-known-as-the-tea-party-they-believe-in-no/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) > [ \[On an anarchist acquaintance:\] Everything in appearance the most alarmist aunt could wish. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/on-an-anarchist-acquaintance-everything-in-appearance-the-most/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I am in total opposition to any institutional power. I favor a world of neighborhoods in which all social organization is voluntary and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-hess/i-am-in-total-opposition-to-any-institutional-power-i-favor-a-world/) [Karl Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-hess/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [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 408 Anarchist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who negates present society, and seeks social conditions based on the sharing of property, is a revolutionary whether he calls himself an anarchist or a communist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johann Most" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks-social-conditions-based-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anarchist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks-social-conditions-based-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/455/johann-most-24344_anarchist_he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks_2949430.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who negates present society, and seeks social conditions based on the sharing of property, is a…” — Johann Most", "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": "Johann Most", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-most/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who negates present society, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks-social-conditions-based-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-most/he-who-negates-present-society-and-seeks-social-conditions-based-on/#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 } } ] } ```