Abbie Hoffman Quotes

Whenever there is authority, there is a natural inclination to disobedience.

The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn't betray it I'd be ashamed of myself

There are .. two choices: obedience to institutional authority or radical dissent from it.

Power is never so overwhelming that there's no room for resistance.

A lot of people believe that if everybody just did what they were told - obeyed - everything would be fine. But that's not what life is all about. That's not real. It's never going to happen.

Power never turns power down, ever, unless institutionally demanded.

Now that I look back, I realize that a life predicated on being obedient and taking orders is a very comfortable life indeed. Living in such a way reduces to a minimum one's need to think.

I've never been any good with authority.

So I'm not very popular here with those inside the system, as you might guess. I never wanted to be.

You know, you can't make the people do what you want them to do.

Rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own.

There are those who dance to the rhythm that is played to them, those who only dance to their own rhythm, and those who don't dance at all.

Sometimes I think the world is divided into those who have a comfortable relationship with power and those who have a naturally adversarial relationship with power.

I hope I don't have to buck the system. But if it requires bucking, I will do it.

Discipline is tough for a guy who is a rebel.

When you make your peace with authority you become authority.

I was always fighting the establishment, trying to run through brick walls.

I've always had a problem with doing what I'm told.

I'm done with rules that are there just to be rules.

Woe betide the man who refuses to conform.

I never liked being told what to do, so even in school plays, I never liked being an actor.

From childhood, we're trained to be a certain way, to behave a certain way - so that the power base can control us, really. And punk and drag are completely outside of that.

I don't take well to rules.

If someone tells me I can't wear something, that's the moment when I want to wear it.

I couldn't follow nobody's rules.