Louise Michel

About the author

Louise Michel, Passionate Anarchist Revolutionary

Louise Michel was born on May 29, 1830, in Vroncourt-la-Côte, France. She was deeply influenced by the revolutionary spirit of her time and became a leading figure in the anarcho-communist and feminist movements. Michel became known as the Red Virgin of Montmartre for her commitment to revolutionary principles.

Michel died on Jan 9, 1905, leaving behind an important body of writings, including numerous pamphlets and books. Her thoughts heavily influenced the development of anarchist theory, particularly anarcho-communism. Michel's radical and unapologetic stance towards social freedom and gender equality carved a niche for herself in history, placing her among the significant figures within the anarchist and feminist ideologies.

Date of Birth: 1830-05-29

Date of Death: 1905-01-09

Country of Birth: France

Political Ideas: Anarcho-communism, Feminism

Quotes Available: 12

Quotes by Louise Michel

Today, go blossom in the shadow of the dark and sad prisons. Go, bloom near the somber captive, and tell them truly that we love them. Tell them that through fleeting time, everything belongs to the future, that the livid conqueror can die more surely than the conquered.

Power is cursed, that is why I am an anarchist.

It is not a crumb of bread, but the harvest of the entire world that the human race needs, without exploiters and without exploited.

What I want is the revolution, which will cause poverty to disappear. I hail the revolution, which is inevitable, and I hope that it will come soon to bring liberty and equality to the suffering.

Each seeks his way, we seek ours and think the day that freedom and equality reign, mankind will be happy.

The task of teachers, those obscure soldiers of civilization, is to give to the people the intellectual means to revolt.

Without the rule of one, there would be light, there would be truth, there would be justice. The rule of one is a crime.

No one who knew that the flag consisted of a bit of black stuff on the end of a broomstick would believe it, and no more do you, sir. I wished to show that the laborers were dying of hunger and in need of work. It is the flag of strikes and famines.

The revolution will be the flowering of humanity as love is the flowering of the heart.

I repeat that I am a political prisoner. The prosecution, whatever the attorney general may say, is political and nothing else.

Since it seems that every heart that beats for freedom has no right to anything but a little slug of lead, I demand my share. If you let me live, I shall never cease to cry for vengeance.

We love to have agents provocateurs in the party, because they always propose the most revolutionary motions.