All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the state.
—Albert Camus, 1951Quotes
Rebellion is no less a sin than divination.
—Book of Samuel, c. 550 BCAll revolutions devour their own children.
—Ernst Röhm, 1933Make the revolution a parent of settlement and not a nursery of future revolutions.
—Edmund Burke, 1790Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made—through disobedience and through rebellion.
—Oscar Wilde, 1891The main object of a revolution is the liberation of man, not the interpretation and application of some transcendental ideology.
—Jean Genet, 1983Those who give the first shock to a state are the first overwhelmed in its ruin; the fruits of public commotion are seldom enjoyed by him who was the first mover; he only beats the water for another’s net.
—Michel de Montaigne, 1580Insurrection of thought always precedes insurrection of arms.
—Wendell Phillips, 1859To escape its wretched lot, the populace has three ways, two imaginary and one real. The first two are the rum shop and the church; the third is the social revolution.
—Mikhail Bakunin, 1871