Authority Quote by Mark Fisher
“What many students most want from college, although they would never admit it, is an authority structure. There is a demand for an authority which they can then reject; they want to be told what to do, so they can disobey. It is a textbook case of bad faith, a flight from freedom.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Capitalist Realism, 2009
People crave authority to later reject it, revealing a paradoxical desire for guidance while asserting freedom.
In simple terms: People want rules to break.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the paradox of seeking control.
Themes
authority
rebellion
freedom
paradox
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- education
- workplace
- political activism
Key Concepts
psychology
social dynamics
postmodernism
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we seek structures to defy?
- How does this affect personal responsibility?
A Different Perspective
Authority can become oppressive if unexamined.
![“[W]hat counts as ‘realistic’, what seems possible at any point in the social field, is defined by a series of political determinations. An ideological position can never be really successful until it is naturalized, and it cannot be naturalized while it is still thought of as a value rather than a…” quote by Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e92/mark-fisher-3649_capitalism_w-hat-counts-as-realistic-what-seems-pos_312976.jpg)
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)