The Soul of Man under Socialism (1891)

Their wordsThe chief advantage that would result from the establishment of Socialism is, undoubtedly, the fact that Socialism would relieve us from that sordid necessity of living for others which, in the present condition of things, presses so hardly upon almost everybody.

Their wordsBut this is not a solution: it is an aggravation of the difficulty.  The proper aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible.

Their wordsThey do so on the ground that such charity degrades and demoralises.  They are perfectly right.  Charity creates a multitude of sins.

Their wordsIt is immoral to use private property in order to alleviate the horrible evils that result from the institution of private property.  It is both immoral and unfair.

Their wordsIt is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.

Their wordsSo that man thought that the important thing was to have, and did not know that the important thing is to be.  The true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is.

Their wordsTo live is the rarest thing in the world.  Most people exist, that is all.

Their wordsWherever there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority.

Their wordsAnd the message of Christ to man was simply ‘Be thyself.’  That is the secret of Christ.

Their wordsHigh hopes were once formed of democracy; but democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.

Their wordsFor what are called criminals nowadays are not criminals at all. Starvation, and not sin, is the parent of modern crime.

Their wordsAll unintellectual labour, all monotonous, dull labour, all labour that deals with dreadful things, and involves unpleasant conditions, must be done by machinery.

Their wordsIndeed, the moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman, an honest or a dishonest tradesman.

Their wordsNow Art should never try to be popular.  The public should try to make itself artistic.

Their wordsThe fact is, that the public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.

Their wordsThe only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes.  Change is the one quality we can predicate of it.