Herbert Marcuse Quotes
Herbert Marcuse was a 20th-century German-American philosopher and a leading figure of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, particularly in its American period. His major works including Reason and Revolution, Eros and Civilization, and One-Dimensional Man (1964) developed a synthesis of Marxism and Freudian psychoanalysis to analyse the integration of dissent and the deadening of critical thought in advanced industrial societies. The quotes below are attributed to Herbert Marcuse, organized by topic.
Herbert Marcuse on Freedom
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“The most effective and enduring form of warfare against liberation is the implanting of material and intellectual needs that perpetuate obsolete forms of the struggle for existence.”
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“The slaves of developed industrial civilisation are sublimated slaves, but they are slaves.”
Herbert Marcuse on Politics
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.”
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“The people recognise themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobile, hi-fi set, split-level home, kitchen equipment.”
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“Not every problem someone has with his girlfriend is necessarily due to the capitalist mode of production.”
Herbert Marcuse on Truth
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“Art breaks open a dimension inaccessible to other experience.”
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Attributed to Herbert Marcuse:
“One can rightfully speak of a culture of alienation only when the works are not part of the prevailing one.”