Freedom Quote by Mikhail Bakunin
““One might rejoin that the State, representing as it does the public welfare or the common interest of all, curtails a part of the liberty of each only for the sake of assuring to him all the remainder. But this remainder may be a form of security; it is never liberty Liberty is indivisible; one cannot curtail a part of it without killing all of it. This little part you are curtailing is the very essence of my liberty; it is all of it. Through a natural, necessary, and irresistible movement, all of my liberty is concentrated precisely m the part, small as it may be, which you curtail.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Statism and Liberty by Mikhail Bakunin, 1871
Liberty is indivisible; any restriction on a part of freedom destroys the whole, because freedom is a unified whole.
In simple terms: Freedom cannot be divided; limiting any part kills all of it.
Key Takeaway
Defend total liberty; oppose partial restrictions.
Themes
politics
freedom
individual rights
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- activism
- legal reform
- civil liberties
- education on rights
Key Concepts
anarchism
political theory
human rights
Questions to Reflect On
- Is any restriction ever justified to protect greater liberty?
- How do societies balance security and freedom?
A Different Perspective
Partial freedoms can sometimes protect larger freedoms; trade‑offs may be necessary.
![“liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty as well as by the abuses of power. . . . [T]he former rather than the latter is apparently most to be apprehended by the United States.” quote by Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/639/ron-chernow-1189_freedom_liberty-may-be-endangered-by-the-abuses_448989.jpg)
