--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are actually very good at being…" description: "\"People are actually very good at being communists in the sense that they instantly abandon capitalism, that they love these relationships of mutual aid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/rebecca-solnit-569_abandon_people-are-actually-very-good-at-being-c_913406.jpg" --- # People are actually very good at being communists in the… ![“People are actually very good at being communists in the sense that they instantly abandon capitalism, that they love these relationships of mutual aid, because the astonishing thing about disasters is that people are often weirdly joyous in them, because they've recovered a sense of agency, a…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/rebecca-solnit-569_abandon_people-are-actually-very-good-at-being-c_913406.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/rebecca-solnit-569_abandon_people-are-actually-very-good-at-being-c_913406.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/rebecca-solnit-569_abandon_people-are-actually-very-good-at-being-c_913406.jpg) > “People are actually very good at being communists in the sense that they instantly abandon capitalism, that they love these relationships of mutual aid, because the astonishing thing about disasters is that people are often weirdly joyous in them, because they've recovered a sense of agency, a sense of power, etc.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In crises, people often reject market values, embracing mutual aid and feeling empowered, which can bring unexpected joy. **In simple terms:** Disasters can spark cooperative joy and empowerment. Key Takeaway Recognize and support community solidarity during crises. Themes community mutual aid disaster response human nature empowerment Mood hopeful reflective urgent Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - emergency shelters - neighborhood rebuilding - online mutual aid platforms - volunteer coordination Key Concepts social solidarity collective resilience psychology of crisis Questions to Reflect On - How can we sustain mutual aid after a disaster? - What risks arise when joy overshadows grief? A Different Perspective Joy may be temporary and can mask underlying trauma or inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Joyous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joyous/) [Mutual aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-aid/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Anarchists believe that we can govern ourselves in the absence of coercive and centralized authority; the underlying premise about human nature (to use an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/anarchists-believe-that-we-can-govern-ourselves-in-the-absence-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [There are only two sorts of people in life you can trust - good Christians and good Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-slovo/there-are-only-two-sorts-of-people-in-life-you-can-trust-good/) [Joe Slovo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-slovo/) > [A sane person would think that Wal-Mart would never carry 'Capitalism: A Love Story' because it's simply not in their best interests to inform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/a-sane-person-would-think-that-wal-mart-would-never-carry-capitalism/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [Michael Moore didn't have to worry that anyone would misinterpret the title of his film, 'Capitalism: A Love Story,' because in Hollywood, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/michael-moore-didn-t-have-to-worry-that-anyone-would-misinterpret-the/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [“When you've got the devil's own luck, you're immune from the usual run of disasters. Such people must be utilized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/when-you-ve-got-the-devil-s-own-luck-you-re-immune-from-the-usual-run/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“These things happen to poor people who live in exposed areas. Society is set up in such a way that it’s the poor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/these-things-happen-to-poor-people-who-live-in-exposed-areas-society/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I always leave disaster for other people to decide, because some of the things I consider to be disasters are some people's favorite movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/i-always-leave-disaster-for-other-people-to-decide-because-some-of/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [Man is appealed to be guided in his acts, not merely by love, which is always personal, or at best tribal, but by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/man-is-appealed-to-be-guided-in-his-acts-not-merely-by-love-which-is/) [Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/) > [Adam Smith actually took all his best ideas and lines from sources from medieval Persia. But one thing he doesn't take is the underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/adam-smith-actually-took-all-his-best-ideas-and-lines-from-sources/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [“In an attempt to convey their discontent, employees did something strange: exactly what they were told to do, following the formal rules to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-cederstrom/in-an-attempt-to-convey-their-discontent-employees-did-something/) [Carl Cederstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-cederstrom/) > [By mutual confidence and mutual aid - great deeds are done, and great discoveries made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/by-mutual-confidence-and-mutual-aid-great-deeds-are-done-and-great/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [“For over a century and a half, anarchists have been arguing that coercive, hierarchical organization (as embodied in government and corporations) is not equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bufe/for-over-a-century-and-a-half-anarchists-have-been-arguing-that/) [Chaz Bufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-bufe/) > [The foundation of a nation is self-aid, mutual aid and public aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/the-foundation-of-a-nation-is-self-aid-mutual-aid-and-public-aid/) [Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/) > [The Europeans had made two promises to the United States if Marshall Plan help was forthcoming. The first promise was maximum self-help on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/the-europeans-had-made-two-promises-to-the-united-states-if-marshall/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [Solidarity is not an act of charity, but mutual aid between forces fighting for the same objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samora-machel/solidarity-is-not-an-act-of-charity-but-mutual-aid-between-forces/) [Samora Machel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samora-machel/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? 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It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Abandon quotes > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. 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