Every government, whatever its form, character, or color—be it absolute or constitutional, monarchy or republic, Fascist, Nazi, or Bolshevist—is by its very nature conservative, static, intolerant of change and opposed to it.

About Emma Goldman

Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist revolutionary, political activist, and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the 20th century.

More quotations from Emma Goldman

So long as every institution of today, economic, political, social, and moral, conspires to misdirect human energy into wrong channels; so long as most people are out of place doing the things they hate to do, living a life they loathe to live, crime will be inevitable, and all the laws on the statutes can only increase, but never do away with, crime.

—Emma Goldman

law crime corruption

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.

—Emma Goldman

change voting

Order derived through submission and maintained by terror is not much of a safe guaranty; yet that is the only "order" that governments have ever maintained. True social harmony grows naturally out of solidarity of interests. In a society where those who always work never have anything, while those who never work enjoy everything, solidarity of interests is nonexistent; hence social harmony is but a myth.… Thus the entire arsenal of government—laws, police, soldiers, the courts, legislatures, prisons—is strenuously engaged in "harmonizing" the most antagonistic elements in society.

—Emma Goldman

Real wealth consists in things of utility and beauty, in things that help to create strong, beautiful bodies and surroundings inspiring to live in.

—Emma Goldman

strength wealth

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.

—Emma Goldman

flowers roses diamonds

More quotations tagged with “conservatism”

The Duke of Cambridge protested that he wasn't arguing against change. He favored it, he said, when there was no alternative.

—Unknown

politics change argument conservatism

The revolt of the poet is invariably conservative at its roots.… Not politically conservative, but imaginatively conservative, with a profound regard for what is given, as earth or air, sun or moon or stars, or the dreams of man.

—Cid Corman

wonder politics poetry dreams conservatism earth sun moon

Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.

—Russell Baker

progress change conservatism

History

21 Jun 2014 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

Every government, whatever its form, character, or color — be it absolute or constitutional, monarchy or republic, Fascist, Nazi, or Bolshevist — is by its very nature conservative, static, intolerant of change and opposed to it.