--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic…" description: "\"I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any more than I advocate capitalistic monoliths. Unfortunately, human society tends to the monol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png" --- # I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any… ![“I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any more than I advocate capitalistic monoliths. Unfortunately, human society tends to the monolithic, whether you go to the left or right, everybody in leathers, or everybody holding Chairman Mao's book, and if everybody goes to one end of…” quote by Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png) > “I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any more than I advocate capitalistic monoliths. Unfortunately, human society tends to the monolithic, whether you go to the left or right, everybody in leathers, or everybody holding Chairman Mao's book, and if everybody goes to one end of the pitch, I always go to the other.” [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques both extreme state control and unchecked capitalism, noting society’s tendency toward monolithic structures regardless of ideology. **In simple terms:** Both big state and big market can become rigid and oppressive. Key Takeaway Seek balance and avoid extremes. Themes politics society balance Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community organizing - activism - education - media analysis Key Concepts monolithism ideology power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we design flexible institutions? - What alternatives to monoliths exist? A Different Perspective Monolithic systems can be resilient and hard to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Human society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-society/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [“You're talking like a Stalinist!' I cried. 'People don't get jobs to achieve things and learn values ! They do it because they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/you-re-talking-like-a-stalinist-i-cried-people-don-t-get-jobs-to/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“Stalin’s position seems ambiguous here: one can imagine a Stalinist purge as the effort to liquidate all chimney sweepers who disturb socialist harmony –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/stalin-s-position-seems-ambiguous-here-one-can-imagine-a-stalinist/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [The poem that comes closest to saying what I think is the one in Human Wishes called "Rusia en 1931." This poem is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/the-poem-that-comes-closest-to-saying-what-i-think-is-the-one-in/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [I came out of a lower-middle-class background. At that time, everyone used to define themselves: Stalinist, Maoist, whatever. I thought they meant 'miaowist'. Seriously!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-came-out-of-a-lower-middle-class-background-at-that-time-everyone/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [My father was a Party member and he was a pretty high rank military officer under the colonel, junior colonel, I don't know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/my-father-was-a-party-member-and-he-was-a-pretty-high-rank-military/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > ['Child 44' has no room for inconsequential choices because Stalinist Russia had no room for them, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/child-44-has-no-room-for-inconsequential-choices-because-stalinist/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [I haven't read Horowitz. I didn't used to read him when he was a Stalinist, and I don't read him today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-haven-t-read-horowitz-i-didn-t-used-to-read-him-when-he-was-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ “All I can say is, it's a good thing we didn't win the revolution \[laughter\]. We would've ended up with people like Abie Hoffman… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-crumb/all-i-can-say-is-it-s-a-good-thing-we-didn-t-win-the-revolution/) R. Crumb > [If Marx was alive during the Stalinist period, he'd be first to be in the gulag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcdonnell/if-marx-was-alive-during-the-stalinist-period-he-d-be-first-to-be-in/) [John McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcdonnell/) > [I was a Stalinist in the '30s. I had come from a Russian revolutionary family who simply were elated by the fact that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-was-a-stalinist-in-the-30s-i-had-come-from-a-russian-revolutionary/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [It is in that spirit, the spirit of '76, that I ask you to rise and join me in a toast to Chairman Mao,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/it-is-in-that-spirit-the-spirit-of-76-that-i-ask-you-to-rise-and-join/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“Once there was a dictator. He drove millions to various kinds of deaths, by war, in prison, or simply in harsh deserts farming their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-ryman/once-there-was-a-dictator-he-drove-millions-to-various-kinds-of/) [Geoff Ryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-ryman/) > [One thing that Chairman Mao did was to end the appalling foot binding of women. That alone justifies the Mao Tse-tung era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/one-thing-that-chairman-mao-did-was-to-end-the-appalling-foot-binding/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tang/chairman-mao-not-only-introduced-pinyin-in-china-but-also-simplified/) [David Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tang/) > [In the past there were too many portraits of Chairman Mao in China. They were hung everywhere. That was not proper and it didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deng-xiaoping/in-the-past-there-were-too-many-portraits-of-chairman-mao-in-china/) [Deng Xiaoping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deng-xiaoping/) ## More by Robyn Hitchcock > [I'm 63. It's kind extraordinary that I'm out here at all and people want to see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-m-63-it-s-kind-extraordinary-that-i-m-out-here-at-all-and-people/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [People's intelligence tends to be in inverse proportion to their number. People don't tend to get smarter as they get into bigger groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/people-s-intelligence-tends-to-be-in-inverse-proportion-to-their/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [After the Soft Boys I just didn't want to work with any more guitarists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/after-the-soft-boys-i-just-didn-t-want-to-work-with-any-more/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [People from the past always seem to have much more time to create beautiful, intricate, delicate things that often reach the future in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/people-from-the-past-always-seem-to-have-much-more-time-to-create/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [I thin many people's deviant behavior starts with dreams because dreams are so non-linear... as if there's an assumption that everything has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-thin-many-people-s-deviant-behavior-starts-with-dreams-because/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [“You have to come from somewhere, but you don't have to go back there anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/you-have-to-come-from-somewhere-but-you-don-t-have-to-go-back-there/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [We have a need to be religious, we need to worship, we need to build totems and shrines and icons, but nobody's sure in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/we-have-a-need-to-be-religious-we-need-to-worship-we-need-to-build/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [In this world of doubt, one thing is certain for me; that I will go on writing songs up to and - I hope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/in-this-world-of-doubt-one-thing-is-certain-for-me-that-i-will-go-on/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [I think The Beatles are the lasting influence on me, even more so than Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-think-the-beatles-are-the-lasting-influence-on-me-even-more-so-than/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [If you miss someone too much you turn into them... though it doesn't seem to work for the Christian Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/if-you-miss-someone-too-much-you-turn-into-them-though-it-doesn-t/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [As soon as a norm is established, people start questioning it, which is probably a good thing in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/as-soon-as-a-norm-is-established-people-start-questioning-it-which-is/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [Everyone has a right to change their consciousness, but ultimately the whole process is misleading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/everyone-has-a-right-to-change-their-consciousness-but-ultimately-the/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [If you do things out of time you're weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/if-you-do-things-out-of-time-you-re-weird/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [I was always jealous of something getting more attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-was-always-jealous-of-something-getting-more-attention/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) > [I've been able to make a good living as a musician, but now it's time to do all the other stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-ve-been-able-to-make-a-good-living-as-a-musician-but-now-it-s-time/) [Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) [Explore all 61 Robyn Hitchcock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any more than I advocate capitalistic monoliths. Unfortunately, human society tends to the monolithic, whether you go to the left or right, everybody in leathers, or everybody holding Chairman Mao's book, and if everybody goes to one end of the pitch, I always go to the other.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robyn Hitchcock" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-state-structures-any-more-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-state-structures-any-more-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/robyn-hitchcock-11103_book_i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-st_1513446.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state structures any more than I advocate capitalistic monoliths…” — Robyn Hitchcock", "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": "Robyn Hitchcock", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't advocate Stalinist monolithic state...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-state-structures-any-more-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/i-don-t-advocate-stalinist-monolithic-state-structures-any-more-than/#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 } } ] } ```