Thomas Pynchon Quotes

Revolution For the Hell of It

Sadly, anarchy has gotten such a bad name. We don't really see much evidence of it because people associate it with reckless abandon.

Part of the plot was a knock that V wanted to bring down the government and bring chaos. I don't know why I thought of Guy Fawkes, because it was during the summer. I thought that would be great if he looked like Guy Fawkes, kind of theatrical.

Today in Russia, we have this extreme form of democracy, which is called anarchy.

You can't build politics on love. People aren't concerned with love; it's too disordered. They prefer despotism. Too much freedom breeds chaos.

They made and recorded a sort of institute and digest of anarchy, called the rights of man.

Liberalism is to freedom as anarchism is to anarchy.

The State is said by some to be a necessary evil; it must be made unnecessary.

I will go out again this very night with my rockets and fuses. I will blow them straight out of their comfortable beds. Blow the rooftops off their houses. Blow the black, wretched night to bits. I will not stop. For mad I may be, but I will never be convenient.

Democracy, in its best state, is but the politics of Bedlam; while kept chained, its thoughts are frantic, but when it breaks loose, it kills the keeper, fires the building, and perishes.

You may not think about politics, but politics think about you.

In my view this is not democracy, but a zoo.... It was exactly what we expected, but not on that scale nor in that form. In a word, it was nothing but a zoo, you can't put it better

I always had a respect and an admiration for people who got into politics. I certainly have always been interested in law and political science.

In the sense that anarchy equals freedom, yes. Anarchy means freedom, but it also means chaos.

It will make the Tea Party look like a tea party.

I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that seems to have no meaning.

The lyrics stand today (1980). They're still my feeling about politics. I want to see the plan. I want to know what you're going to do after you've knocked it all down. I mean, can't we use some of it? What's the point of bombing Wall Street? If you want to change the system, change the system. It's no good shooting people.

The talk of pale, burning-eyed students, anarchists and utopians all, over tea and cigarettes in a locked room long past midnight, is next morning translated, with the literalness of utter innocence, into the throwing of the bomb, the shouting of the proud slogan, the dragging away of the young dreamer-doer, still smiling, to the dungeon and the firing squad.

In debates between anarchists and statists, the burden of proof clearly should rest on those who place their trust in the state. Anarchy's mayhem is wholly conjectural; the state's mayhem is undeniably, factually horrendous.

I'm not an anarchist. I'm not saying, "Burn it to the ground."

Liberty plucks justice by the nose; The baby beats the nurse, and quite athwart Goes all decorum.

Cut word lines — Cut music lines — Smash the control images — Smash the control machine — Burn the books — Kill the priests — Kill! Kill! Kill!

Eventually, someone is going to pick up a brick.

While preaching against every kind of government, and demanding complete freedom, we must support all struggles for partial freedom, because we are convinced that one learns through struggle.

If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution.