Anarchy Quote by William Godwin
““Strange that men, from age to age, should consent to hold their lives at the breath of another, merely that each in his turn may have a power of acting the tyrant according to the law! Oh, God! give me poverty! Shower upon me all the imaginary hardships of human life! I will receive them with all thankfulness. Turn me a prey to the wild beasts of the desert, so I be never again the victim of man, dressed in the gore-dripping robes of authority! Suffer me at least to call life, the pursuits of life, my own! Let me hold it at the mercy of the elements, of the hunger of the beasts, or the revenge of barbarians, but not of the cold-blooded prudence of monopolists and kings!””
About This Quote
Source Book: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice by William Godwin, 1793
The quote condemns the oppression of individuals by authority and wishes for a life subject only to natural forces, not human tyranny.
In simple terms: It despises political power and longs for natural hardship over human oppression.
Key Takeaway
Seek freedom from oppressive structures.
Themes
freedom
oppression
authority
nature
politics
Mood
defiant
passionate
revolutionary
Type
philosophical
political
literary
When to use this quote
- political activism
- philosophical writing
- personal reflection
- social critique
Key Concepts
individualism
anarchism
human condition
Questions to Reflect On
- What does true freedom look like in modern life?
- Can natural hardship ever be preferable to human oppression?
A Different Perspective
Human societies often create new forms of domination even when rejecting old ones.
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