Edward Abbey

Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American writer that people knew for his teaching about environmental problems and for his disagreeing with ways of making decisions about public land. Some of his books that many people know about are The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been called an inspiration by radical environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. The writer Larry McMurtry called Abbey the "Thoreau of the American West".

Sourced quotes

• "Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others."    

Simple: Anarchism is based on the idea that because only a small number of men are wise enough to lead themselves, an even smaller number are wise enough to lead others.

• "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets."    

Simple: No bad government annoys people as much as small bad government: annoying things that policemen, government clerks and machines tell people to do.

• "One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork."    

Simple: One man alone is able to be quite stupid sometimes, but if you want to see real, true stupid acts, nothing does that more than people working together.

• "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."    

Simple: Having feelings but not doing anything hurts a person's soul.

Other websites

• Edward Abbey on Wikipedia
• Edward Abbey on Wikimedia Commons
• Works by Edward Abbey on the English Wikisource