The most violent element in society is ignorance.

—Emma Goldman

politics ignorance society violence

About Emma Goldman

Portrait of 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

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 “violence”

I have a mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it.

—Groucho Marx

humor violence anger brutality

Soft is stronger than hard, water stronger than rock, love stronger than violence.

—Hermann Hesse

love strength violence water softness hardness

When we are violent to our enemies, we do violence to ourselves. When we brutalize others, we brutalize ourselves. And eventually we run the risk of becoming our oppressors.

—Arundhati Roy

enemies violence brutality

I believe every act of violence is also a message that needs to be understood. Violence should not be answered just by greater violence but by real understanding. We must ask: "Where is the violence coming from? What is its meaning?

violence source message

You're immature. You've been unable to adjust to the idea of war."
"Yes, sir."
"You have a morbid aversion to dying. You probably resent the fact that you're at war and might get your head blown off any second."
"I more than resent it, sir. I'm absolutely incensed."
"… Misery depresses you. Ignorance depresses you. Persecution depresses you. Violence depresses you.… You know, it wouldn't surprise me if you're a manic depressive!

—Joseph Heller

war ignorance maturity death misery violence surprise

History

23 Nov 2013 Added