--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is absolute truth in anarchism and…" description: "\"There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism. [...] ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg" --- # There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen… ![“There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism. [...] The religious truth of anarchism consists in this, that power over man is bound up with sin and evil, that a state of perfection is a state where…” quote by Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg) > “There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism. \[...\] The religious truth of anarchism consists in this, that power over man is bound up with sin and evil, that a state of perfection is a state where there is no power of man over man, that is to say, anarchy. The Kingdom of God is freedom and the absence of such power... the Kingdom of God is anarchy.” [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anarchism equates true freedom with the absence of hierarchical power, viewing state authority as sinful. **In simple terms:** Freedom means no one rules over anyone. Key Takeaway Pursue societies without oppressive structures. Themes freedom anarchy state religion morality Mood philosophical critical Type theoretical ideological When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - theological debate Key Concepts authority sin perfection spiritual liberty Questions to Reflect On - Can a society function without any authority? - What safeguards replace state power? A Different Perspective Anarchism can overlook the need for coordinated cooperation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Absolute truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-truth/) [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Absolutism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutism/) [Anarchism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchism/) [Anarchism Consists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchism-consists-1150679/) [Anarchism Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchism-seen-1150680/) [Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [God Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-anarchy-1150681/) [Kingdom of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom-of-god/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-truth/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Anarchism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-anarchism-1150678/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think anarchism consists of sitting down and saying let's form a collective. I don't think it consists of saying we're all anarchists:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-don-t-think-anarchism-consists-of-sitting-down-and-saying-let-s/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [The uniting of Orthodoxy with state absolutism came about on the soil of a non-belief in the Divineness of the earth, in the earthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-uniting-of-orthodoxy-with-state-absolutism-came-about-on-the-soil/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [“religious experience is neither the source nor the foundation of religious truth;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-bavinck/religious-experience-is-neither-the-source-nor-the-foundation-of/) [Herman Bavinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-bavinck/) > [Christianity does not claim to convey merely religious truth, but truth about all reality. This vision of reality is radically different from a secularist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/christianity-does-not-claim-to-convey-merely-religious-truth-but/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [A little knowledge and an over-abundance of zeal always tends to be harmful. In the area involving religious truths, it can be disastrous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-kuhlman/a-little-knowledge-and-an-over-abundance-of-zeal-always-tends-to-be/) [Kathryn Kuhlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-kuhlman/) > [There are two views of interpreting the Bible in America: that every word is literally the truth without qualification, and then the other view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/there-are-two-views-of-interpreting-the-bible-in-america-that-every/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [You must be patient, you must wait for the eye of the soul to be formed in you. Religious truth is reached, not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/you-must-be-patient-you-must-wait-for-the-eye-of-the-soul-to-be/) [John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/) > [Religious truth, or for that matter any truth, requires a calm and meditative atmosphere for its percolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/religious-truth-or-for-that-matter-any-truth-requires-a-calm-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I don't think Beethoven expresses religious truth. He expresses a human truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tavener/i-don-t-think-beethoven-expresses-religious-truth-he-expresses-a/) [John Tavener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tavener/) > [Believe those who seek the truth, doubt those who find it; doubt all, but do not doubt yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/believe-those-who-seek-the-truth-doubt-those-who-find-it-doubt-all/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“In that context, I find theistic evolution, or BioLogos, to be by far the most scientifically consistent and spiritually satisfying of the alternatives. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/in-that-context-i-find-theistic-evolution-or-biologos-to-be-by-far/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [The legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-legislative-powers-of-government-reach-actions-only-and-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The meaning of religious truth is hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/the-meaning-of-religious-truth-is-hope/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him (i.e. Jesus) by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/among-the-sayings-and-discourses-imputed-to-him-i-e-jesus-by-his/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Nikolai Berdyaev > [God is a reality of spirit He cannot be conceived as an object, not even as the very highest object. God is not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/god-is-a-reality-of-spirit-he-cannot-be-conceived-as-an-object-not/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Creativity is the mystery of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/creativity-is-the-mystery-of-freedom/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [The question of bread for myself is a material question; but the question of bread for my neighbour, for everybody, is a spiritual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-question-of-bread-for-myself-is-a-material-question-but-the/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [The physical union of the sexes ... only intensifies man's sense of solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-physical-union-of-the-sexes-only-intensifies-man-s-sense-of/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [The overwhelming majority of people, including Christians, are materialists. They do not believe in the power of spirit. They believe only in material power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-overwhelming-majority-of-people-including-christians-are/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Creativity is something which proceeds from within, out of immeasurable and inexplicable depths, not from without, not from the world's necessity. The very desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/creativity-is-something-which-proceeds-from-within-out-of/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [The uniting of Orthodoxy with state absolutism came about on the soil of a non-belief in the Divineness of the earth, in the earthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-uniting-of-orthodoxy-with-state-absolutism-came-about-on-the-soil/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Self-realization is a process of permanent auto-creation, an elaboration of the new man at the expense of the old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/self-realization-is-a-process-of-permanent-auto-creation-an/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [There is a tragic clash between Truth and the world. Pure undistorted truth burns up the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-a-tragic-clash-between-truth-and-the-world-pure-undistorted/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Ethics occupies a central place in philosophy because it is concerned with sin, with the origin of good and evil and with moral valuations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/ethics-occupies-a-central-place-in-philosophy-because-it-is-concerned/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [In creativity the way will be found for subject to pass into object, the identity of subject with object will be restored. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/in-creativity-the-way-will-be-found-for-subject-to-pass-into-object/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [Freedom is the power to create out of nothing, the power of the spirit to create out of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/freedom-is-the-power-to-create-out-of-nothing-the-power-of-the-spirit/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [I never remain passive in the process of reading: while I read I am engaged in a constant creative activity, which leads me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/i-never-remain-passive-in-the-process-of-reading-while-i-read-i-am/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [The creation of the world is not only a process which moves from God to humanity. God demands newness from humanity; God awaits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-creation-of-the-world-is-not-only-a-process-which-moves-from-god/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) [Explore all 57 Nikolai Berdyaev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism. [...] The religious truth of anarchism consists in this, that power over man is bound up with sin and evil, that a state of perfection is a state where there is no power of man over man, that is to say, anarchy. The Kingdom of God is freedom and the absence of such power... the Kingdom of God is anarchy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nikolai Berdyaev" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and-it-is-to-be-seen-in-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and-it-is-to-be-seen-in-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_absence_there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and_891275.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude to the sovereignty of the state…” — Nikolai Berdyaev", "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": "Nikolai Berdyaev", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is absolute truth in anarchism...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and-it-is-to-be-seen-in-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-absolute-truth-in-anarchism-and-it-is-to-be-seen-in-its/#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 } } ] } ```