I am truly free only when all human beings, men and women, are equally free. The freedom of other men, far from negating or limiting my freedom, is, on the contrary, its necessary premise and confirmation.
Interpretation
True freedom is achieved only when everyone is free, and mutual freedom reinforces individual freedom.
This quote from Mikhail Bakunin emphasizes the interconnectedness of human freedom. It suggests that an individual's freedom cannot be viewed in isolation; instead, it is contingent on the freedom of others. Bakunin argues that the liberation of one person enhances the freedom of all, suggesting a collective responsibility towards ensuring universal liberty as a foundational aspect of true freedom.
In practice
This quote can be shared during discussions about social justice.
We must overthrow the material and moral conditions of our present-day life. . . . We must first purify our atmosphere and completely transform the milieu in which we live; for it corrupts our instinct and our will, and constricts our heart and our intelligence
The liberty of man consists solely in this, that he obeys the laws of nature because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been imposed upon him externally by any foreign will whatsoever, human or divine, collective or individual.
By striving to do the impossible, man has always achieved what is possible. Those who have cautiously done no more than they believed possible have never taken a single step forward.
By striving to do the impossible, man has always achieved what is possible.
This contradiction lies here: they wish God, and they wish humanity. They persist in connecting two terms which, once separated, can come together again only to destroy each other.
To revolt is a natural tendency of life. Even a worm turns against the foot that crushes it. In general, the vitality and relative dignity of an animal can be measured by the intensity of its instinct to revolt.
Many might go to Heaven with half the labor they go to hell.
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.
You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too.
Self-righteousness is the inevitable fruit of simple moral judgments.
You never know the palette of the one you kill until the mind disgorges its finest colours.
The statement that 'God is dead' comes from Nietzsche and has recently been trumpeted abroad by some German and American theologians. But the good Lord has not died of this; He who dwells in the heaven laughs at them.
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