John Perry Barlow quotes

John Perry Barlow (1947-2018) was an American poet, essayist, and cyberactivist. As an influential figure in the digital frontier, he co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990, advocating for online civil liberties and privacy protection. Barlow, once a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, possessed a unique ability to merge counterculture ideals with technology. A prolific writer, he penned various essays including the groundbreaking "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace." Barlow's work continues to inspire generations, defending freedom of expression and challenging governmental control. His legacy as a pioneer of online freedom remains a testament to his unwavering commitment to the unrestricted flow of information and the preservation of digital rights.

But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.

- John Perry Barlow

So I'm just waiting until one party or the other actually gets a moral compass and a backbone.

- John Perry Barlow

We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before.

- John Perry Barlow

In Cyberspace, the First Amendment is a local ordinance.

- John Perry Barlow

I mean I look forward to the day when I can be Republican again.

- John Perry Barlow

It didn't matter what we did or where we did it as long as we were together. We knew we'd found what most people either pursue in years of futile search or dismiss as a fantasy at the outset: the missing half of ourselves. The real thing.

- John Perry Barlow

But generally speaking, I felt to engage in the political process was to sully oneself to such a degree that whatever came out wasn't worth the trouble put in.

- John Perry Barlow

They seem to have forgotten that, and are back saying the only purpose of P2P networks is for illegal trading of owned goods. We claim part of the reason for P2P is for legal trading of what ought to be in public domain. And what is in public domain in many cases.

- John Perry Barlow

Our identities have no bodies, so, unlike you, we cannot obtain order by physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest, and the commonweal, our governance will emerge.

- John Perry Barlow

I personally think intellectual property is an oxymoron. Physical objects have a completely different natural economy than intellectual goods. It's a tricky thing to try to own something that remains in your possession even after you give it to many others.

- John Perry Barlow

I'm still strongly opposed to antismoking laws, strongly opposed to any law that regulates personal behavior.

- John Perry Barlow

You do not know our culture, our ethics, or the unwritten codes that already provide our society more order than could be obtained by any of your impositions.

- John Perry Barlow

Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping tom to install your window blinds.

- John Perry Barlow

The Internet treats censorship as a malfunction and routes around it.

- John Perry Barlow

If all ideas have to be bought, then you have an intellectually regressive system that will assure you have a highly knowledgeable elite and an ignorant mass.

- John Perry Barlow

I don't know that I believe in the supernatural, but I do believe in miracles, and our time together was filled with the events of magical unlikelihood.

- John Perry Barlow

Everyone seems to be playing well within the boundaries of his usual rule set. I have yet to hear anyone say something that seemed likely to mitigate the idiocy of this age.

- John Perry Barlow

Most libertarians are worried about government but not worried about business. I think we need to be worrying about business in exactly the same way we are worrying about government.

- John Perry Barlow

The one thing that I know government is good for is countervailing against monopoly. It's not great at that either, but it's the only force I know that is fairly reliable.

- John Perry Barlow