--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is what the government is, has…" description: "\"This is what the government is, has always been, the creator and defender of privilege; the organization of oppression and revenge. To hope that it can..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_anarchy_this-is-what-the-government-is-has-alway_2327014.jpg" --- # This is what the government is, has always been, the… ![“This is what the government is, has always been, the creator and defender of privilege; the organization of oppression and revenge. To hope that it can ever become anything else is the vainest of delusions. They tell you that Anarchy, the dream of social order without government, is a wild fancy…” quote by Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_anarchy_this-is-what-the-government-is-has-alway_2327014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_anarchy_this-is-what-the-government-is-has-alway_2327014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b84/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_anarchy_this-is-what-the-government-is-has-alway_2327014.jpg) > “This is what the government is, has always been, the creator and defender of privilege; the organization of oppression and revenge. To hope that it can ever become anything else is the vainest of delusions. They tell you that Anarchy, the dream of social order without government, is a wild fancy. The wildest dream that ever entered the heart of man is the dream that mankind can ever help itself through an appeal to law, or to come to any order that will not result in slavery wherein there is any excuse for government.” [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government is inherently a system of privilege and oppression; believing it can become benevolent is delusional. Anarchy is dismissed as fantasy, yet true freedom may lie beyond law. **In simple terms:** Government perpetuates privilege; true freedom may require its absence. Key Takeaway Question authority, envision alternatives. Themes politics freedom authority anarchism Mood critical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - community organizing - policy critique - activist strategy Key Concepts social contract power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Can a stateless society maintain order? - What safeguards replace government? A Different Perspective Anarchy may lead to chaos without structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Defenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defenders/) [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-order/) [Wildest dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildest-dreams/) ## Related quotes > [We know the costs of failure. There is now no excuse for government - at any level - not to invest in a safer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/we-know-the-costs-of-failure-there-is-now-no-excuse-for-government-at/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [Government failure is always used as an excuse for government expansion. Government thrives on crisis and incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-babka/government-failure-is-always-used-as-an-excuse-for-government/) [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) > [Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/protecting-the-rights-of-even-the-least-individual-among-us-is/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [An order of government, established by such an all-wise, powerful being, must be good and perfect, and must be calculated to promote the permanent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/an-order-of-government-established-by-such-an-all-wise-powerful-being/) [Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/) > [No government can continue good but under the control of the people; and . . . . their minds are to be informed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-government-can-continue-good-but-under-the-control-of-the-people-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Well the first order of government is to preserve the public order and safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-wise/well-the-first-order-of-government-is-to-preserve-the-public-order/) [Bob Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-wise/) > [The concept of minimum wage is crazy, if you really stop to think about it. If $8 an hour seems right, why not $20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/the-concept-of-minimum-wage-is-crazy-if-you-really-stop-to-think/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [Netizens and site operators must find ways to police themselves in order to keep government interference to a minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sucheta-dalal/netizens-and-site-operators-must-find-ways-to-police-themselves-in/) [Sucheta Dalal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sucheta-dalal/) > [I wasn't prepared to get a mammogram until I was 40 years old, like I'd been told. I never in my wildest dreams expected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuliana-rancic/i-wasn-t-prepared-to-get-a-mammogram-until-i-was-40-years-old-like-i/) [Giuliana Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuliana-rancic/) > [I feel like I am not only my ancestors' wildest dreams but also my wildest dreams. Little-kid me is like, 'Girl, that's crazy. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/i-feel-like-i-am-not-only-my-ancestors-wildest-dreams-but-also-my/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-j-tipler/when-i-began-my-career-as-a-cosmologist-some-twenty-years-ago-i-was-a/) [Frank J. Tipler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-j-tipler/) > [“You say you want to bathe when the waves subside. Is there an end to the endless mind? You say,“Let me quench my thirst,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamayya/you-say-you-want-to-bathe-when-the-waves-subside-is-there-an-end-to/) Annamayya > [Even the wildest dreams have to start somewhere. Allow yourself the time and space to let your mind wander and your imagination fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/even-the-wildest-dreams-have-to-start-somewhere-allow-yourself-the/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Everything I've ever dreamed of, everything in my wildest dreams, is coming true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/everything-i-ve-ever-dreamed-of-everything-in-my-wildest-dreams-is/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have my very own school - no way. And I had no idea I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liang-chow/i-never-thought-in-my-wildest-dreams-that-i-would-have-my-very-own/) [Liang Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liang-chow/) ## More by Voltairine de Cleyre > [And now, what has Anarchism to say to all this, this bankruptcy of republicanism, this modern empire that has grown up on the ruins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/and-now-what-has-anarchism-to-say-to-all-this-this-bankruptcy-of/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“It is the city that is wrong, and its creations can never be right; they may be improved; they can never be what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-the-city-that-is-wrong-and-its-creations-can-never-be-right/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Private enterprise manages better all that to which it is equal. Anarchism declares that private enterprise, whether individual or cooperative, is equal to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/private-enterprise-manages-better-all-that-to-which-it-is-equal/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [No one can hate petitions worse than I, and no one has less faith in them than I. But for my champion I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/no-one-can-hate-petitions-worse-than-i-and-no-one-has-less-faith-in/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [A standing army is a standing menace to liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-standing-army-is-a-standing-menace-to-liberty/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [ “\[T\]o remain in a continually exalted moral condition is not human nature.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/t-o-remain-in-a-continually-exalted-moral-condition-is-not-human/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“As to the essence of Commerce and Manufacture, it is this: to establish bonds between every corner of the earth’s surface and every other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/as-to-the-essence-of-commerce-and-manufacture-it-is-this-to-establish/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Anarchism, to me, means not only the denial of authority, not only a new economy, but a revision of the principles of morality. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/anarchism-to-me-means-not-only-the-denial-of-authority-not-only-a-new/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [There is one common struggle against those who have appropriated the earth, the money, and the machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/there-is-one-common-struggle-against-those-who-have-appropriated-the/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“It is understood that when we speak of history we do not allude to the unspeakable trash contained in public school text-books (which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-understood-that-when-we-speak-of-history-we-do-not-allude-to/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“Nearly all the laws which were originally framed with the intention of benefiting the workers, have either turned into weapons in their enemies’ hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/nearly-all-the-laws-which-were-originally-framed-with-the-intention/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [ \[The married woman is\] is a bonded slave, who takes her master's name, her master's bread, and serves her master's passion; \[and\] who passes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-married-woman-is-is-a-bonded-slave-who-takes-her-master-s-name/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Is it not enough that 'things are cruel and blind'? Must we also be cruel and blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/is-it-not-enough-that-things-are-cruel-and-blind-must-we-also-be/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [The revolution is ... the blow dealt ... agains the counter force of tyranny, which has never entirely recovered from the blow, but which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-revolution-is-the-blow-dealt-agains-the-counter-force-of-tyranny/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [... it is better to study how to live rather than how to die; ... it is better to have a religion of deeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-better-to-study-how-to-live-rather-than-how-to-die-it-is-better/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) [Explore all 50 Voltairine de Cleyre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) ## More Anarchy quotes > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [So far I'm still standing on 'Sons of Anarchy' but all the rest of the people on the show have me in their crosshairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-pileggi/so-far-i-m-still-standing-on-sons-of-anarchy-but-all-the-rest-of-the/) Mitch Pileggi > [“Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science and Bad Religion in a World Without God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/anarchy-evolution-faith-science-and-bad-religion-in-a-world-without/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [Perhaps it is this theory of all work and no play that has made the Marxist such a very dull boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/perhaps-it-is-this-theory-of-all-work-and-no-play-that-has-made-the/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I think that if you run a big company, you've got to, four or five times a year, just say, 'Hey team, look, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-that-if-you-run-a-big-company-you-ve-got-to-four-or-five/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [Where you have no religion, you are sure to have no government, for as religion disappears, anarchy takes place and fixes a compleat Hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-morgan/where-you-have-no-religion-you-are-sure-to-have-no-government-for-as/) [Daniel Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-morgan/) > [What a comfort it is to feel that amid the chaos and anarchy which sweep the surface, God is holding fast the foundations on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-b-meyer/what-a-comfort-it-is-to-feel-that-amid-the-chaos-and-anarchy-which/) [F.B. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-b-meyer/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Would you like to do something good for the future of the human race; well, start killing some of its powerful members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/would-you-like-to-do-something-good-for-the-future-of-the-human-race/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [“twenty-three years of RFRAs to produce anarchy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corvino/twenty-three-years-of-rfras-to-produce-anarchy/) [John Corvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corvino/) > [Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other faculties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-that-faculty-that-enlarges-the-usefulness-of-all-other/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) [Browse all 795 Anarchy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is what the government is, has always been, the creator and defender of privilege; the organization of oppression and revenge. To hope that it can ever become anything else is the vainest of delusions. They tell you that Anarchy, the dream of social order without government, is a wild fancy. 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