Benjamin Tucker quotes

Benjamin Tucker was an American anarchist and libertarian socialist, most famous for promoting individualist anarchism. His writings and publishing work influenced libertarian and radical thought in the United States. He advocated for non-aggressive mutualism, free markets, and social reforms. Here are 85 of his quotes:

Laissez Faire was very good sauce for the goose, labor, but was very poor sauce for the gander, capital. (Benjamin Tucker)
Almost the only persons who may be said to comprehend even approximately the significance, principles, and purposes of Socialism are the chief leaders of the extreme wings of the Socialistic forces, and perhaps a few of the money kings themselves. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Socialism, on the contrary, extends its function to the description of society as it should be, and the discovery of the means of making it what it should be. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Marx, as we have seen, solved it by declaring capital to be a different thing from product, and maintaining that it belonged to society and should be seized by society and employed for the benefit of all alike. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The exercise of authority over the same area by two States is a contradiction. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
If the individual has a right to govern himself, all external government is tyranny. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The Anarchists never have claimed that liberty will bring perfection; they simply say that its results are vastly preferable to those that follow authority. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The essence of government is control, or the attempt to control. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The moment that justice must be paid for by the victim of injustice it becomes itself injustice. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The cost of justice can be justly paid only by the invader. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Commanded love of all men indiscriminately is an obliteration of distinction between love and hate, and therefore is not love at all. (Benjamin Tucker)
I insist that there is nothing sacred in the life of an invader, and there is no valid principle of human society that forbids the invaded to protect themselves in whatever way they can. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
But which is the State's essential function, aggression or defence, few seem to know or care. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
This brings us to Anarchism, which may be described as the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and that the State should be abolished. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
I have also seen it stated that Capital punishment is murder in its worst form. I should like to know upon what principle of human society these assertions are based and justified. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The two principles referred to are Authority and Liberty, and the names of the two schools of Socialistic thought which fully and unreservedly represent one or the other of them are, respectively, State Socialism and Anarchism. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Aggression is simply another name for government. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
To force a man to pay for the violation of his own liberty is indeed an addition of insult to injury. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
We are here, on earth. Not one of us has any right to the earth. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
And capital punishment, however ineffective it may be and through whatever ignorance it may be resorted to, is a strictly defensive act, - at least in theory. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Capitalism is at least tolerable, which cannot be said of Socialism or Communism. (Benjamin Tucker)
Monopoly and privilege must be destroyed, opportunity afforded, and competition encouraged. This is Liberty's work, and "Down with Authority" her war-cry. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
War and Authority are companions; Peace and Liberty are companions. View quote
Benjamin Tucker
The Anarchists answer that the abolition of the State will leave in existence a defensive association, resting no longer on a compulsory but on a voluntary basis, which will restrain invaders by any means that may prove necessary. View quote
Benjamin Tucker

Benjamin Tucker

Benjamin Tucker - Image
Occupation: American Journalist
Born: April 17, 1854
Died: June 22, 1939
Quotes count: 85
Wikipedia: Benjamin Tucker

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