Abandon Quote by John Dos Passos
“To fight oppression, and to work as best we can for a sane organization of society, we do not have to abandon the state of mind offreedom. If we do that we are letting the same thuggery in by the back door that we are fighting off in front of the house.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The State of Freedom, 1935
Advocates preserving a mindset of freedom while working within societal structures, warning that abandoning it invites the same oppression one opposes.
In simple terms: Freedom must stay in mind even while building organized society.
Key Takeaway
Guard your mental freedom while engaging in collective action.
Themes
freedom
politics
social organization
resistance
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- activism
- policy making
- community organizing
- education programs
Key Concepts
liberty
statecraft
psychology of oppression
Questions to Reflect On
- What freedoms are essential for a healthy society?
- How can we prevent oppression from infiltrating our own movements?
A Different Perspective
Balancing individual liberty with collective order is complex.
![“I don't know if I call myself a poet or not. I would like to, but I'm not really qualified to make that decision, because I come in on such a back door, that I don't know what a Robert Frost or a [John] Keats or a T.S. Eliot would really think of my stuff.” quote by Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ca0/bob-dylan-168_back-doors_i-don-t-know-if-i-call-myself-a-poet-or_400356.jpg)
