Action Quote by Saul Alinsky
“Organization for action will now and in the decade ahead center upon America's white middle class. That is where the power is. ... Our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and the way of life of the middle class. They have stigmatized it as materialistic, decadent, bourgeois, degenerate, imperialistic, war-mongering, brutalized and corrupt. They are right; but we must begin from where we are if we are to build power for change, and the power and the people are in the middle class majority.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, 1971
Power resides in the middle class; to enact change, organize through them despite contempt from radicals.
In simple terms: Middle class holds power.
Key Takeaway
Mobilize the middle class.
Themes
politics
class
activism
Mood
strategic
motivational
Type
political
activist
When to use this quote
- community organizing
- policy advocacy
- grassroots movements
Key Concepts
social dynamics
power structures
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we engage middle class voters?
- What barriers exist to their activism?
A Different Perspective
Middle class may be apathetic or divided.
