Community Quote by Saul Alinsky
“The organizers first job is to create the issues or problems, and organizations must be based on many issues. The organizer must first rub raw the resentments of the people of the community; fan the latent hostilities of many of the people to the point of overt expression. He must search out controversy and issues, rather than avoid them, for unless there is controversy people are not concerned enough to act. . . . An organizer must stir up dissatisfaction and discontent.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Rules for Radicals, 1971
An organizer should provoke controversy and surface grievances to motivate collective action, rather than avoid conflict.
In simple terms: Stirring conflict can spark activism.
Key Takeaway
Use tension to mobilize communities.
Themes
activism
conflict
mobilization
Mood
critical
strategic
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- Political campaigns
- community meetings
- protest planning
Key Concepts
Grassroots organizing
social change
Questions to Reflect On
- When is controversy productive?
- How to balance agitation with unity?
A Different Perspective
Provoking conflict can deepen divisions.
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