The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
Saul AlinskyRead
Lest we forget at least an over the shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins - or which is which), the very first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom - Lucifer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the concept of rebellion against the established order, highlighting Lucifer as the archetypal figure of radical change.
Saul Alinsky's quote draws a parallel between historical and mythological figures who have challenged authority, using Lucifer as a metaphor for the ultimate rebel. By questioning the boundaries between mythology and history, Alinsky prompts us to reconsider the nature of rebellion, suggesting that the act of defiance can create significant societal shifts. This idea resonates with the complexities of power, authority, and the often-blurred lines between good and evil.
Themes
RebellionAuthorityRadicalismMythologyHistoryChange
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about social movements and rebellion during a lecture on political philosophy.
More from Saul Alinsky
All quotes →The second rule is: Never go outside the experience of your people. When an action is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear, and retreat.
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The first step in community organization is community disorganization. The disruption of the present organization is the first step toward community organization. Present arrangements must be disorganized if they are to be displace by new patterns.... All change means disorganization of the old and organization of the new.
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The threat is generally more terrifying than the thing itself.
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Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.
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An organizer working in and for an open society is in an ideological dilemma to begin with, he does not have a fixed truth - truth to him is relative and changing; everything to him is relative and changing.... To the extent that he is free from the shackles of dogma, he can respond to the realities of the widely different situations.
Saul AlinskyRead
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