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Today no man can live by his own work: he must be helped by the labor of others. Therefore all that we have, all wealth, is the product of the labor of many people, even of many generations. That is to say: all labor and the products of labor are social, made by society as a whole.

But if all the wealth we have is social, then it stands to reason that it should belong to society, to the people as a whole.

— What Is Anarchism? by Alexander Berkman (Working Classics, #1) (Page 5)

Above all, the modern drama, operating through the double channel of dramatist and interpreter, affecting as it does both mind and heart, is the strongest force in developing social discontent, swelling the powerful tide of unrest that sweeps onward and over the dam of ignorance, prejudice, and superstition.

— Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman (Page 139)

The right to vote, equal civil rights, are all very good demands, but true emancipation begins neither at the polls nor in courts. It begins in woman’s soul. History tells us that every oppressed class gained its true liberation from its masters through its, own efforts. It is necessary that woman learn that lesson, that she realize that her freedom will reach as far as her power to achieve her freedom reaches. It is therefore far more important for her to begin with her inner regeneration to cut loose from the weight of prejudices, traditions, and customs.

— Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman (Page 110 - 111)

To reiterate, rather than try to imagine one single alternative to the existing system of incarceration, we might envision an array of alternatives that will require radical transformations of many aspects of our society. Alternatives that fail to address racism, male dominance, homophobia, class bias, and other structures of domination will not, in the final analysis, lead to decarceration and will not advance the goal of abolition.

— Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis (Page 108)

Aber weder die Verwandlung in Aktiengesellschaften und Trusts noch die in Staatseigentum hebt die Kapitaleigenschaft der Produktivkräfte auf. Bei den Aktiengesellschaften und Trusts liegt dies auf der Hand. Und der moderne Staat ist wieder nur die Organisation, welche sich die bürgerliche Gesellschaft gibt, um die allgemeinen äußern Bedingungen der kapitalistischen Produktionsweise aufrechtzuerhalten gegen Übergriffe sowohl der Arbeiter wie der einzelnen Kapitalisten. Der moderne Staat, was auch seine Form, ist eine wesentlich kapitalistische Maschine, Staat der Kapitalisten, der ideelle Gesamtkapitalist. Je mehr Produktivkräfte er in sein Eigentum übernimmt, desto mehr wird er wirklicher Gesamtkapitalist, desto mehr Staatsbürger beutet er aus. Die Arbeiter bleiben Lohnarbeiter, Proletarier. Das Kapitalverhältnis wird nicht aufgehoben, es wird vielmehr auf die Spitze getrieben. Aber auf der Spitze schlägt es um. Das Staatseigentum an den Produktivkräften ist nicht Lösung des Konflikts, aber es birgt in sich das formelle Mittel, die Handhabe der Lösung.

— Karl Marx/Friedrich Engels Gesammelte Werke by Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx (Page 763 - 764)

Sometimes new ideas can make you see everything differently. Old myths fall apart, and new possibilities come into view. Difficult problems melt away, or become much easier to solve. Things that once seemed unthinkable suddenly become obvious. Whole worlds can change.

I like to imagine a time in the future when I'm again captivated by the number of insects back home in Eswatini. I'm an old man, sitting on the porch in the evening, watching them in awe, listening to their chirping, just as I did as a child. In this vision, a lot has changed about the world. High-income countries brought their use of resources and energy down to sustainable levels. We began to take democracy seriously, shared income and wealth more fairly, and put an end to poverty. The gap between rich countries and poor countries shrank. The word 'billionaire' dis- appeared from our languages. Working hours fell from forty or fifty hours a week down to twenty or thirty, giving people more time to focus on community, caring and the arts of living. High- quality public healthcare and education were made available to everyone. People came to live longer, happier, more meaningful lives. And we began to think of ourselves differently: as beings interconnected with, rather than separate from, the rest of the living world.

As for the planet, something remarkable happened. The rainforests grew back, across the Amazon, the Congo and Indonesia; dense and green and teeming with life. Temperate forests spread again across Europe and Canada. Rivers ran clear, and filled with fish. Whole ecosystems recovered. We accomplished a quick transition to renewable energy, global temperatures stabilised, and weather systems began to return to their ancient patterns. In a word, things started to heal... we began to heal.... and faster than anybody imagined was possible. We took less, but we gained so much more.

This book is about that dream. We have a journey ahead, which will I carry us over 500 years of history. We'll explore the roots of our current economic system, how it took hold, and what makes it tick. We will look at concrete, practical steps we can take to reverse ecological breakdown and build an alternative, post-capitalist economy. And we will travel across continents, to cultures and communities that interact with the living world in ways that open up whole new horizons of the imagination.

Right now it may just be the faintest whisper of a possibility. But whispers can build into winds, and take the world by storm.

— Less Is More by Jason Hickel

Wunderbar in der Tat war die Verwandlung, die die Kommune an Paris vollzogen hatte! Keine Spur mehr von dem buhlerischen Paris des zweiten Kaisertums. Paris war nicht länger der Sammelplatz von britischen Grundbesitzern, irischen Absentees, amerikanischen Ex-Sklavenhaltern und Emporkömmlingen, russischen Ex-Leibeignenbesitzern und walachischen Bojaren. Keine Leichen mehr in der Morgue, keine nächtlichen Einbrüche und fast keine Diebstähle mehr; seit den Februartagen von 1848 waren die Straßen von Paris wirklich einmal wieder sicher, und das ohne irgendwelche Polizei.

— Karl Marx/Friedrich Engels Gesammelte Werke by Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx (Page 647)

For you to be a Communist or a Socialist is to be totalitarian. For me, not so. I believe man is free when he has an economic position that guarantees him work, food, housing, health, rest and recreation. I am the founder of the Socialist Party and I must tell you that I am not totalitarian, and I think Socialism frees man. - Salvador Allende

— The Morals of the Market by Jessica Whyte