Butler Shaffer

“When you legitimize a political system, you are transferring your sense of right and wrong to it.”

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it by peaceful means.”

“Our minds have been conditioned to accept the state as a political given, in the same way that we accept the sunrise and sunset.”

“The most dangerous superstition is the belief in the legitimacy of the state.”

“Never be a spectator of unfairness or studious stupidity. The grave will supply plenty of time for silence.”

“The state is a masterful organization of men and women who have a vested interest in keeping you fearful.”

“Political systems are a reflection of a culture, not the other way around. You have to change the culture to change the system.”

“The belief in the legitimacy of the state is the central myth of our time.”

“Institutions are substitutes for known, identifiable, and responsible persons.”

“Governments are not the source of our rights; they are the most common violators of them.”

“The essence of liberty is the right to be wrong. Without that, you don't have freedom, you have a managed existence.”

“If you desire a society of peace and liberty, you must first create a culture that values and respects the individual.”

“All political power is grounded in the willingness of people to obey.”

“A society that does not trust itself to itself cannot have liberty.”

“The political process is a game of plunder, where organized interests use the state to loot the unorganized.”