Abbie Hoffman was an American social and political activist known to be the co-founder of the ‘Youth International Party’. Hoffman was a troublemaker as a child but his energies were put in the right directions and his political ideologies were inspired by the famous Marxist theorist Herbert Marcuse. He joined the ‘Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee’ to support the ‘Civil Rights Movement’. He further protested against the Vietnam War and was known for using theatrical methods for protests. He and his confederates were arrested and convicted for their anti-war protests but the conviction was overturned by the ‘Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals’. Hoffman further wrote a book titled ‘Steal This Book’ where he encouraged the youth to protest against corruption and the malpractices of the government. This book became an inspiration for the youth and turned out to be a national bestseller. He took a break to become an environmental activist and was the part of a campaign which aimed at preserving the Saint Lawrence River. He was posthumously honored with the ‘Courage of Conscience award’. The below collection of Abbie Hoffman’s most famous quotes have been excerpted from his writings, papers, speeches and thoughts. We bring to you a collection of sayings and quotes by Abbie Hoffman on books, freedom and violence.
Become an internationalist and learn to respect all life. Make war on machines. And in particular the sterile machines of corporate death and the robots that guard them.
Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit.
Abbie Hoffman
Once you get the right image the details aren't that important.
The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.
Abbie Hoffman
Expedience, not justice, is the rule of contemporary American law.
Abbie Hoffman
To steal from a brother or sister is evil. To not steal from the institutions that are the pillars of the Pig Empire is equally immoral.
Abbie Hoffman
In this state, dig it, you get twenty years for sale of dope to a minor. You only get five to ten for manslaughter. So like, the thing is, if you're selling to a kid and cops come, shoot the kid real quick!
The key to organizing an alternative society is to organize people around what they can do, and more importantly, what they want to do.
Abbie Hoffman
Every rock or molotov cocktail thrown should make a very obvious political point. Random violence produces random propaganda results. Why waste even a rock?
Abbie Hoffman
The 60’s are gone, dope will never be as cheap, sex never as free, and the rock and roll never as great.
