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.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Liberty
I bow before the authority of special men because it is imposed upon me by my own reason.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Authority
Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Idealism, Ideals
The first revolt is against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Religion
But I recognize no infallible authority, even in special questions; consequently, whatever respect I may have for the honesty and the sincerity of such or such an individual, I have no absolute faith in any person.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Authority
Freedom, morality, and the human dignity of the individual consists precisely in this; that he does good not because he is forced to do so, but because he freely conceives it, wants it, and loves it.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Goodness, Ethics
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.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Revolution
Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the boot-maker.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Topics: Authority, Control
The passion for destruction is also a creative passion.
—Mikhail Bakunin
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Friedrich Engels German Socialist Political Philosopher
- Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach German Philosopher
- Christopher Hitchens Anglo-American Social Critic
- Auguste Comte French Philosopher
- Karl Marx German Philosopher, Economist
- John Rawls American Philosopher
- Marshall Mcluhan Canadian Thinker
- Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel German Man of Letters
- Jose Ortega y. Gasset Spanish Philosopher
- Umberto Eco Italian Novelist
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