Able Quote by Peter Kropotkin
“But how do European railways manage without them? How do they continue to convey millions of travellers and mountains of luggage across a continent? If companies owning railways have been able to agree, why should railway workers, who would take possession of railways, not agree likewise? And if the Petersburg-Warsaw Company and that of Paris-Belfort can act in harmony, without giving themselves the luxury of a common commander, why, in the midst of our societies, consisting of groups of free workers, should we need a Government?”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, 1902
The passage argues that cooperation among workers can replace centralized authority, using European railways as an example of successful self‑organization.
In simple terms: Workers can self‑organize like railways without a government.
Key Takeaway
Promote decentralized cooperation.
Themes
anism
self‑organization
anarchism
economics
society
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Labor unions
- community projects
- co‑ops
- transport networks
- public services
Key Concepts
Anarchist theory
mutual aid
collective decision‑making
Questions to Reflect On
- How can power imbalances be mitigated in self‑managed systems?
- What safeguards prevent exploitation without a central authority?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all participants share equal power and information, which may not hold in practice.
