If I Can't Dance

Text above and below an illustration of Emma Goldman on a yellow background.

This quote comes from a 1931 writing by Emma Goldman titled "Living My Life" in which she described an encounter with a young boy who referred to her dancing as unbefitting and dishonorable for someone promoting the anarchist Cause. Goldman stated, "I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy." She then went on to say, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

Emma Goldman was a political activist and writer during the beginning of the 20th century. She is known for her free-thinking and rebellious anarchist and communist beliefs. Her writings include discussions on free love, marriage, free speech, atheism, prisons, homosexuality, and capitalism, among other topics. In the 1970s, Goldman's activism and writings were rediscovered by those involved with the feminist and anarchist movements, reviving an interest in her.

Emma, Goldman. "Living My Life." 1931. Online: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-living-my-life. Accessed 30 June, 2017.