Berkman Quotes & Sayings

Violence is the method of ignorance, the weapon of the weak. The strong of heart and brain need no violence, for they are irresistible in their consciousness of being right. — Alexander Berkman

Words are as beautiful as wind horses, and sometimes as difficult to corral. — Ted Berkman

I've always liked doubles. When you scald the ball on a line to the gap, I think that's about as close to a perfect swing as you can get. — Lance Berkman

Agile, athletic, sleek-all these things describe my game! — Lance Berkman

Socialism, like Christianity destroyed itself to gain power — Alexander Berkman

In an absolutism, the autocrat is visible and tangible. The real despotism of republican institutions is far deeper, more insidious, because it rests on the popular delusion of self-government and independence. That is the subtle source of democratic tyranny, and, as such, it cannot be reached with a bullet. — Alexander Berkman

War means blind obedience, unthinking stupidity, brutish callousness, wanton destruction, and irresponsible murder. — Alexander Berkman

Away with the hypocritical horror on the part of capitalist, labor leader, and politician. — Alexander Berkman

In short, Anarchism means a condition or society where all men and women are free, and where all enjoy equally the benefits of an ordered and sensible life. — Alexander Berkman

Existence has become an unreasoning, wild dance around the golden calf, a mad worship of God Mammon. In that dance and in that worship man has sacrificed all his finer qualities of the heart and soul - kindness and justice, honor and manhood, compassion and sympathy with his fellowman. — Alexander Berkman

The mark of a good hitter is someone who hits the ball hard, often. And if you run into a few home runs, that's fine. — Lance Berkman

My father always told me that to be successful at anything, whether it was baseball or tiddlywinks, you have to be willing to pay the price. You have to be willing to do more than the kid down the street if you want to be better than he is. — Lance Berkman

The only way that we can truly have a purpose and an enriching life experience is to do all things in Christ and through the power of Christ. What happens when we're all about doing good works and we're doing that outside of the power of Christ is that we end up getting the glory and the whole point of this deal is that God gets the glory. That verse beautifully illustrates that point. — Lance Berkman

I was raised in church by Christian parents and I was baptized when I was 11 years old. But I didn't really have a good understanding of what the Gospel was really all about until college. — Lance Berkman

I want to be a guy who produces runs, who drives in runs, who can beat you with a single or can beat you with a home run, who's just a tough out. — Lance Berkman

Anarchism means voluntary co-operation instead of forced participation. It means harmony and order in place of interference and disorder. — Alexander Berkman

The key to dealing with people in general is that they have to know that you care about them. You have to deal with people in gentleness. You have to come along side of them. You can't push them. You can't pull them. You have to walk with them. In order to do that, you've got to demonstrate care for that individual. That's my whole thing — Lance Berkman

If you gave me a choice between being married and being a baseball player, that's a no-brainer. I would be married any day. I just love it. — Lance Berkman

I go game to game, at-bat to at-bat. That's my way. — Lance Berkman

Obviously, the only reason I'm where I am is because God has gifted me and He has seen fit to put me where I am. I have to honor that by using my influence and my status on the team and in the game of baseball for good and to His purpose. — Lance Berkman

The cure for evil and disorder is more liberty, not suppression. — Alexander Berkman

I've always enjoyed baseball, but even when I was a kid I can remember viewing it with a businesslike approach. — Lance Berkman

I almost feel guilty. The physical toll is tremendous. Im exhausted and I only played nine innings. — Lance Berkman

They were chanting my name, but I don't know why. My name is on the back of my uniform. So, it's nice to know they can read. — Lance Berkman

Anarchy: It is NOT bombs, disorder or chaos. It is NOT robbery and murder. It is NOT a war of each against all. It is NOT a return to barbarism or to the wild state of man. Anarchism is the very opposite of all that. — Alexander Berkman

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? You start out bad, you don't really feel right, you don't have the same explosion, then you start to lose confidence, you start to doubt your ability. It's a snowball effect. — Lance Berkman

If you can see, hear, feel, and think, you should know that King Dollar rules the United States, and that the workers are robbed and exploited in this country to the heart's content of the masters.
If you are not deaf, dumb, and blind, then you know that the American bourgeois democracy and capitalistic civilization are the worst enemies of labor and progress, and that instead of protecting them, you should help to fight to destroy them. — Alexander Berkman

Inhumanity is the keynote of stupidity in power. — Alexander Berkman

What is a fanatic but a man whose faith is impregnable to doubt? It is the faith that moves mountains, the faith that accomplishes. Revolutions are not made by Hamlets. The traditional "great" man, the "big personality" of current conception, may give to the world new thoughts, noble vision, inspiration. But the man that "sees every side" cannot lead, cannot control. He is too conscious of the fallibility of all theories, even of thought itself, to be a fighter in any cause. — Alexander Berkman

I think any great performer or athlete has to have a little bit of a gut to be great. — Lance Berkman

The overriding thing has to be a love for people. If you don't love people, you don't care if we live in a morally degrading society. Christ is about love, and that's what we want to be about as well. — Lance Berkman

Its unbelievable, I cant even describe it. To be a big part of bringing the World Series the first World Series ever to Houston is just tremendous. — Lance Berkman

One-run games can go either way, and most of the time they do. — Lance Berkman

I want to play every game of my career in an Astros uniform. — Lance Berkman

The man who can face vilification and disgrace, who can stand up against the popular current, even against his friends and his country when he know he is right, who can defy those in authority over him, who can take punishment and prison and remain steadfast-that is a man of courage. The fellow whom you taunt as a 'slacker' because he refuses to turn murderer-he needs courage. But do you need much courage just to obey orders, to do as you are told and to fall in line with thousands of others to the tune of general approval and the Star Spangled Banner? — Alexander Berkman

When I started to play consistently and produce consistently, that's when I knew that I could compete and do well in the big leagues. — Lance Berkman

I wish I was just a left-handed hitter. It's really tough having to keep both sides sharp, and that's one reason why you don't see switch-hitters hit for that high of an average. You're always fighting one side or the other. — Lance Berkman

It is, ... kind of a softball atmosphere out there. — Lance Berkman

What is this thing we call government? Is it anything but organized violence? The law orders you to obey, and if you don't obey, it will compel you by force - all governments, all law and authority finally rest on force and violence, on punishment or fear of punishment. — Alexander Berkman

When the highwayman holds his gun to your head, you turn your valuables over to him. You 'consent' alright, but you do so because you cannot help yourself, because you are compelled by his gun. Are you not compelled to work for an employer? Your need compels you, just as the highwayman's gun. — Alexander Berkman

Man's inhumanity to man is not the last word. The truth lies deeper. It is economic slavery, the savage struggle for a crumb, that has converted mankind into wolves and sheep. — Alexander Berkman

Certainly the worker has nothing to lose by a change from government and capitalism to a condition of no government, of anarchy. — Alexander Berkman

The stupendous task of human regeneration will be accomplished only by the purified vision of hearts that grow not cold. — Alexander Berkman

God has given me a lot of ability to play the game of baseball. — Lance Berkman

Theres a little more margin for error this year. Last year, it felt like we had to win every game. That wasnt a lot of fun. — Lance Berkman

War paralyzes your courage and deadens the spirit of true manhood. — Alexander Berkman

It is the system, rather than individuals, that is the source of pollution and degradation. My prison-house environment is but another manifestation of the Midas-hand, whose cursed touch turns everything to the brutal service of Mammon. — Alexander Berkman

Alexander Berkman was a self-declared atheist attempting to lift the stultifying fog of the gods from the mind of humankind. — David Burns

Are you not compelled to work for an employer? Your need compels you just as the highwayman's gun. You must live ... You can't work for yourself ... The factories, machinery, and tools belong to the employing class, so you must hire yourself out to that class in order to work and live. Whatever you work at, whoever your employer may be, it always comes to the same: you must workfor him. You can't help yourself. You are compelled. — Alexander Berkman

I'll be a Houston Astro no matter what ... I would certainly want to leave myself open to a return to the team if that made sense for the organization and for me as well. — Lance Berkman

Living the Christian life is also challenging but for different reasons. The same desire to do well exists - to live a consistent life that honors and pleases the Lord. The big difference is that God isn't evaluating my actions and basing His love on how well I 'perform'. His love for me is unconditional. Even when I mess up He doesn't threaten to trade me off His team. — Lance Berkman

A wise man once said that human beings were programmed to like boundary conditions - places like tree houses, mountain cabins, or transgressive gay bars. Boundary conditions exist in places where you can stay in one element and look at another different and fascinating element for as long as you wanted. That's why people like beach towns like Cape May; you can sit and look at the ocean, or go in the ocean and look back at the land, whatever's more fun. If that's true, then maybe that's why people go to funerals. Funerals are the boundary condition between life and afterlife. Sheldon Berkman had crossed the boundary between — Curtis Edmonds