If we do not do the impossible, we shall be faced with the unthinkable. Murray Bookchin More Quotes by Murray Bookchin More Quotes From Murray Bookchin I learned that [Trotskyism] were no different from the Stalinists, and they expelled me, which is the typical Marxist-Leninist way of dealing with dissenters. From that point on, I migrated by the 1950s into anarchism, increasingly emphasizing decentralization. Also, I made the all-important step of bridging my social philosophy with ecology. I did that in 1952 and went on to write a whole series of books developing an anarcho-ecological approach. Murray Bookchin writing philosophy book I've worked in the factories of this land, and I've thought freely and creatively. And I think that that has greatly enriched my capacity to abstract intellectually. The experience of being with workers, my encounters with management and my recognition of its foibles, my personal encounters with American industrial efficiency, my military experience - all of these things packaged together have greatly enriched my reading and my understanding, and I've written with what I hope is a reasonable fluency of style that is much more expressive than the academic stuff. Murray Bookchin reading military thinking I got deeply involved with the Trotskyists. I assumed simply that my enemy's enemies were my friends. Murray Bookchin involved my-friends enemy My thinking is very flexible, and I hope that it will remain flexible and creative as long as biology permits me to think and that I will remain a rebel all my life. Murray Bookchin creative long thinking I will never compromise - I can now say with assurance at the age of 57 - with my libertarian and my revolutionary commitments; they'll have to kill me first. They can't buy me out. I'm just not interested in what they have to offer. I've managed to stick it out, and the thing that has been the most rescuing, the most redeeming, feature of my life that has kept me alive, that has kept me more or less single-minded about my commitment to libertarian ideals once I escaped the trap of Marxist-Leninism - a childhood trap, to be sure - has been consciousness. Murray Bookchin childhood age commitment I went through the communist children's movement at the age of nine, in 1930, and into the Young Communist League in 1936. The Spanish civil war brought me back. I'd already broken with the communists - or the Stalinists, more precisely - in 1935. But the civil war in Spain and the desire to aid the remarkable people struggling against Fascism brought me back to the Young Communist League, so that I could effectively participate, however far removed from Spain, in their struggle. By 1938 I was ready to be expelled. By 1939 I was expelled. Murray Bookchin struggle war children I was raised as a red diaper baby. Murray Bookchin diapers red baby Deny my individuality and I become an animal, mute, a mere creature of all the forces that act upon me. Murray Bookchin deny individuality animal I have no quarrel with libertarians who advance the concept of capitalism . I believe that people will decide for themselves what they want to do. The all-important thing is that they be free to make that decision and that they do not stand in the way of communities that wish to make other decisions. Murray Bookchin community believe people I believe that the American people should defend themselves if any attempt is made to take over the government by coup d'etat, whether by the military or the Marxists or any people who profess to be anarchists. Murray Bookchin government military believe I'm much more interested in developing human character in society. And I'm much more interested in the social conditions that foster commitment to ideals, a sense of solidarity, purposefulness, steadfastness, responsibility. Murray Bookchin responsibility character commitment I'm a Bookchinite, and nobody has a right to claim that but me. Murray Bookchin claims We should try to become better people, ethically speaking, reflect upon ourselves and our very limited existences and develop a sense of tolerance for each other, as well as for other anarchist groups with which we may disagree. But we're not committed to toeing a line called anarchism; there are many different anarchisms. Murray Bookchin tolerance trying people We don't have to go around as the Protestant reformation did, or as the socialist revolution did, and execute each other as soon as we are successful - assuming we'll ever be successful. Murray Bookchin assuming revolution successful What I'd like to see developing is an American radicalism, libertarian in character, which relies, however weak, faint, and even mythic these traditions may be, on the American libertarian tradition. I don't mean right-wing libertarianism obviously. Murray Bookchin wings character mean I feel that we have some opportunity in North America to go back and say the American Revolution was the real thing. Murray Bookchin real opportunity america I don't want to think any longer simply in terms of the Spanish Revolution or the Russian Revolution. It doesn't make any sense to talk [Peter] Makhno to an American. Murray Bookchin revolution want thinking I think it's terribly important that networks of anarchists establish themselves with a view toward educating people. Murray Bookchin views people thinking In The Ecology of Freedom, my critique of what is called civilization and industrial society is massive, and my attack upon [Karl] Marx's commitment to it as a necessary stage in human progress and the domination of nature is very sharp. Murray Bookchin progress civilization commitment I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered away. Murray Bookchin anarchism conscious people
