Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.

Edward Abbey
About This Quote

The title of this quote is a play on the phrase, “Anarchy is a bad system.” The word “bad” is very strong here, and the sentence as a whole is strident. The word “system” means something like “set of rules,” and the sentence is calling the idea of anarchism as a society with no government “a bad system.” But that doesn't mean it's impossible. Anarchists believe that we can create a new kind of society based on voluntary association and cooperation that would leave people free to be the individuals they want to be and not have to follow someone else's rules.

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  5. But it is a writer's duty to write and speak and record the truth, always the truth, no matter whom may be offended.
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