Buyers Quote by Rudolf Rocker
“So long as millions of human beings in every country has to sell their labour-power to a small minority of owners, and to sink into the most wretched misery if they could find no buyers, the so called “equality before the law” remains a pious fraud, since the laws are made by those who find themselves in possession of the social wealth. But in the same way there can also be no talk of a “right over one's own person,” for that right ends when one is compelled to submit to the economic dictation of another if he does not want to starve.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Anarchist Theory, Rudolf Rocker, 1919
Economic inequality makes legal equality a façade; personal rights end when survival depends on others' control.
In simple terms: Wealth disparity undermines true equality and personal autonomy.
Key Takeaway
Address economic power imbalances to protect rights.
Themes
equality
economics
rights
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- employment contracts
- social policy
- wealth redistribution
- labor rights
Key Concepts
property
class struggle
labor exploitation
Questions to Reflect On
- What economic structures perpetuate inequality?
- How can individuals resist economic coercion?
A Different Perspective
Legal reforms alone cannot fix systemic economic oppression.
![“The purpose and effect of [land titles] have been to maintain, in the hands of robber, or slave holding class, a monopoly of all lands, and, as far as possible, of all other means of creating wealth; and thus to keep the great body of labourers in such a state of poverty and dependence, as would…” quote by Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/394/lysander-spooner-3260_body_the-purpose-and-effect-of-land-titles-ha_1616191.jpg)
