“In a contest of violence against violence the superiority of the government has always been absolute; but this superiority lasts only so long as the power structure of the government is intact—that is, so long as commands are obeyed and the army or police forces are prepared to risk their lives and use their weapons.”
More from Hannah Arendt
“Heidegger lies notoriously always and everywhere, and whenever he can.”
“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good…”
“All stories begun and enacted by men unfold their true meaning only when they have come to…”
“Only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core.”