The 13 Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky (1971)
- “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have. Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood.”
- “Never go outside the expertise of your people.It results in confusion, fear, and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.”
- “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety, and uncertainty.”
- “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules.”
- “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.”
- “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.They’ll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing and will even suggest better ones.”
- “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.Don’t become old news.”
- “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new.”
- “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.”
10.“The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.”
- “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog.”
- “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem.”
- “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.”
Fourteen Power-Sharing Rules for Freedom
- Power is based on understanding and promoting self-sufficiency for everyone.
- Share your power
- Find your group’s weaknesses and replace them with strength. Clean your house first, then demand everyone strive for higher standards.
- Find you opponent’s weakness and make sure you don’t have them.
- Balance creativity with tradition.
- Allow people to enjoy life.
- Trust but verify, including authority figures.
- Keep the pressure on. Tension leads to equilibrium
- Be aware of barrier to overcome, but don’t keep looking at them, for you will become what you are looking at. Instead look at where you want go and succeed.
- Never, never, never give up.
- The enemy is in the forces that prevent human equality and equity. In you, outside you, in your group, outside your group. Use reality check in every important group decision.
- The goal of a successful attack is having a more positive, constructive alternative.
- The size of your enemy determines the potential size of your reach. Having no enemy means you are not doing any good. Study your enemy well to make sure you are not fighting the wrong war, and that you do not become the actual enemy in the war of good and evil. (This one is dedicated to trained organizers.)
- Add your own as per your particular needs.