---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you want to make it impossible for…"
description: "\"Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress his fellow-man? Then make sure that no one shall possess power.\" — Mikhail Bakunin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png"
---

#  Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress…

![“Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress his fellow-man? Then make sure that no one shall possess power.” quote by Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png)

> “Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress his fellow-man? Then make sure that no one shall possess power.”

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

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Power concentrates oppression; removing authority from individuals prevents domination, fostering mutual freedom.

**In simple terms:** Power leads to oppression; no power means freedom.

Key Takeaway

Promote shared responsibility and collective decision‑making.

Themes

anarchism freedom politics

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

political ideological

When to use this quote

- community projects
- co‑ops
- direct democracy
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

political theory social organization

Questions to Reflect On

- What structures can replace authority without creating new hierarchies?
- How can individuals stay accountable without formal power?

A Different Perspective

Complete powerlessness may be impractical and can lead to chaos.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fellow man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellow-man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/stop-this-day-and-night-with-me-and-you-shall-possess-the-origin-of/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [Immortality is not a gift, Immortality is an achievement; And only those who strive mightily Shall possess it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/immortality-is-not-a-gift-immortality-is-an-achievement-and-only/)

[Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/)

> [Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, You shall possess the good of the earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/stop-this-day-and-night-with-me-and-you-shall-possess-the-origin-of-2/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/whosoever-holds-this-hammer-if-he-be-worthy-shall-possess-the-power/)

[Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/)

> [“With patient, you shall possess your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/with-patient-you-shall-possess-your-soul/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [What I want is, not to possess religion, but to have a religion that shall possess me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/what-i-want-is-not-to-possess-religion-but-to-have-a-religion-that/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [I shall possess this woman; I shall steal her from the husband who profanes her: I will even dare ravish her from the God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/i-shall-possess-this-woman-i-shall-steal-her-from-the-husband-who/)

[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/)

> [“You are free to choose the concept you will accept of yourself. Therefore, you possess the power of intervention, the power which enables you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/you-are-free-to-choose-the-concept-you-will-accept-of-yourself/)

[Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/)

> [Power is very much like the wind. It comes and goes; no one really owns it. People are foolish enough to think they possess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/power-is-very-much-like-the-wind-it-comes-and-goes-no-one-really-owns/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“You might possess the power to control your heart but God possesses the power to control your heartbeat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/you-might-possess-the-power-to-control-your-heart-but-god-possesses/)

[P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/)

> [Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/though-men-now-possess-the-power-to-dominate-and-exploit-every-corner/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“It was a piece of advice only, and aimed at myself as much, I suppose, as at you.—For those of easy tongues, she said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/it-was-a-piece-of-advice-only-and-aimed-at-myself-as-much-i-suppose/)

[Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/)

> [Those who approach life like a child playing a game, moving and pushing pieces, possess the power of kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/those-who-approach-life-like-a-child-playing-a-game-moving-and/)

[Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/)

> [“What insanity would lead me to believe that I possess the power, much less the aptitude to manipulate all of the consequences out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/what-insanity-would-lead-me-to-believe-that-i-possess-the-power-much/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“Mothers possess a power beyond that of a king on his throne.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabel-hale/mothers-possess-a-power-beyond-that-of-a-king-on-his-throne/)

Mabel Hale

## More by Mikhail Bakunin

> [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/)

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

> [There are but three ways for the populace to escape its wretched lot. The first two are by the routes of the wine-shop or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/there-are-but-three-ways-for-the-populace-to-escape-its-wretched-lot/)

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

> [Whoever says State necessarily says domination, and, consequently, slavery; a State without slavery, open or concealed, is inconceivable: that is why we are enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/whoever-says-state-necessarily-says-domination-and-consequently/)

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

> [“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/)

> [I am sure that, on the one hand, the Rothschilds appreciate the merits of Marx, and that on the other hand, Marx feels an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-sure-that-on-the-one-hand-the-rothschilds-appreciate-the-merits/)

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

> [Throw a theory into the fire; it only spoils life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/throw-a-theory-into-the-fire-it-only-spoils-life/)

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

> [People go to church for the same reasons they go to a tavern: to stupefy themselves, to forget their misery, to imagine themselves, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/people-go-to-church-for-the-same-reasons-they-go-to-a-tavern-to/)

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

> [The privilege of ruling would be in the hands of the skilled and the learned, with a wide scope left for profitable crooked deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-privilege-of-ruling-would-be-in-the-hands-of-the-skilled-and-the/)

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

> [I am not myself free or human until or unless I recognize the freedom and humanity of all my fellowmen... I am truly free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-not-myself-free-or-human-until-or-unless-i-recognize-the-freedom/)

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

> [In antiquity slaves were, in all honesty called slaves. In the middle ages, they took the name of serfs. Nowadays they are called wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/in-antiquity-slaves-were-in-all-honesty-called-slaves-in-the-middle/)

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

> [He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/he-who-desires-to-worship-god-must-harbor-no-childish-illusions-about/)

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

> [They maintain that only a dictatorship - their dictatorship, of course - can create the will of the people, while our answer to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/they-maintain-that-only-a-dictatorship-their-dictatorship-of-course/)

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

> [“The masses, on admitting their own incapacity to govern themselves, have elected me as their head By doing so, they have clearly proclaimed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-masses-on-admitting-their-own-incapacity-to-govern-themselves/)

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

> [We must overthrow the material and moral conditions of our present-day life. . . . We must first purify our atmosphere and completely transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/we-must-overthrow-the-material-and-moral-conditions-of-our-present/)

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

> [The right to unite freely and to separate freely is the first and most important of all political rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-right-to-unite-freely-and-to-separate-freely-is-the-first-and/)

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

[Explore all 140 Mikhail Bakunin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

## More Fellow man quotes

> [There is no sweeter sound than the crumbling of one's fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/there-is-no-sweeter-sound-than-the-crumbling-of-one-s-fellow-man/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [I believe if there is a creator it will basically ask me two questions, how well did you enjoy my creation and what did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/i-believe-if-there-is-a-creator-it-will-basically-ask-me-two/)

[Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/)

> [Elvis was sincere, and he was - he was so loyal. And he was so homespun. He loved his mother, he loved America. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-thompson/elvis-was-sincere-and-he-was-he-was-so-loyal-and-he-was-so-homespun/)

[Linda Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-thompson/)

> [I have thoroughly tried school-keeping, and found that my expenses were in proportion, or rather out of proportion, to my income,for I was obliged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-have-thoroughly-tried-school-keeping-and-found-that-my-expenses/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“I've know Bruce Wayne for over 50 years, and Ive kept an eye on you your whole life. You're not Bruce's clone, you're his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-timm/i-ve-know-bruce-wayne-for-over-50-years-and-ive-kept-an-eye-on-you/)

[Bruce Timm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-timm/)

> [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [I am by nature the most intolerant and insular Englishman... If you happen to be a person like that and you learn from evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/i-am-by-nature-the-most-intolerant-and-insular-englishman-if-you/)

[Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/)

> [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [I was born to love - but none of you wanted to believe it, and that misunderstanding was crucial in forming my character. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/i-was-born-to-love-but-none-of-you-wanted-to-believe-it-and-that/)

[George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/)

> [“surely the only true knowledge of our fellow-man is that which enables us to feel with him—which gives us a fine ear for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/surely-the-only-true-knowledge-of-our-fellow-man-is-that-which/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [When I hit around 65, 66, I started to feel tremendous worth and incredible personal esteem. I was becoming very cognisant of my contribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/when-i-hit-around-65-66-i-started-to-feel-tremendous-worth-and/)

[Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/)

> [There is a difference between justice and consideration in one's relations to one's fellow men. It is the function of justice not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/there-is-a-difference-between-justice-and-consideration-in-one-s/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“The Bible considers a sinner the man who practices sin, that is to say, according to the rudiments and passions of this world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-mendez-ferrell/the-bible-considers-a-sinner-the-man-who-practices-sin-that-is-to-say/)

[Ana Mendez Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-mendez-ferrell/)

> [I ... express a wish that you may, in your generation, be fit to compare to a candle; that you may, like it, shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-express-a-wish-that-you-may-in-your-generation-be-fit-to-compare-to/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [“Trifles cannot satisfy our longings. Sensual pleasures, power over our fellow man, the acquisition of things, these are babbles, toys, trifles. Our spirits yearn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaughn-heppner/trifles-cannot-satisfy-our-longings-sensual-pleasures-power-over-our/)

[Vaughn Heppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaughn-heppner/)

[Browse all 619 Fellow man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellow-man/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress his fellow-man? Then make sure that no one shall possess power.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Bakunin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-anyone-to-oppress-his-fellow/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fellow man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-anyone-to-oppress-his-fellow/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3e/mikhail-bakunin-3075_fellow-man_do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-an_2384203.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Do you want to make it impossible for anyone to oppress his fellow-man? Then make sure that no one shall…” — Mikhail Bakunin",
                "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": "Mikhail Bakunin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Do you want to make it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-anyone-to-oppress-his-fellow/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/do-you-want-to-make-it-impossible-for-anyone-to-oppress-his-fellow/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
