 Individualism, a Reader, edited by George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore, narrated by James Foster. 8. From The Dominant Idea, Volterine Declare Selected works of Volterine Declare, edited by Alexander Bergman, New York Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1914. The American free thinker and individualist feminist Volterine Declare, 1866-1912, was known in radical circles for her advocacy of anarchism without adjectives. This phrase expressed Declare's belief that any type of voluntary society is acceptable, so long as it embodies the voluntary cooperation of all members. In this excerpt from one of her most famous essays, Declare explains the implications of committing oneself to the ideal of individual freedom. It is not to be supposed that anyone will attain to the full realization of what he purposes even when those purposes do not involve united action with others. He will fall short. He will in some measure be overcome by contending or inert opposition. But something he will attain if he continues to aim high. What then would I have, you ask? I would have men invest themselves with the dignity of an aim higher than the chase for wealth, choose a thing to do in life outside of the making of things and keep it in mind, not for a day nor a year but for a lifetime. And then keep faith with themselves, not be a light of love today professing this and tomorrow that and easily reading oneself out of both whenever it becomes convenient, not advocating a thing today and tomorrow kissing its enemy's sleeve with that weak, coward cry in the mouth circumstances make me. Take a good look into yourself and if you love things and the power and the plenitude of things better than you love your own dignity, human dignity, oh say so, say so, say it to yourself and abide by it. But do not blow hot and cold in one breath. Do not try to be a social reformer and a respected possessor of things at the same time. Do not preach the straight and narrow way while going joyously upon the wide one. Preach the wide one or do not preach at all. But do not fool yourself by saying you would like to help usher in a free society but you cannot sacrifice an armchair for it. Say honestly, I love armchairs better than free men and pursue them because I choose, not because circumstances make me. I love hats, large, large hats with many feathers and great bows and I would rather have those hats than trouble myself about social dreams that will never be accomplished in my day. The world worships hats and I wish to worship with them. But if you choose the liberty and pride and strength of the single soul and the free fraternization of men as the purpose which your life is to make manifest, then do not sell it for tinsel. Think that your soul is strong and will hold its way and slowly through bitter struggle perhaps the strength will grow and the foregoing of possessions for which others barter the last possibility of freedom will become easy. At the end of life you may close your eyes saying, I have not been dominated by the dominant idea of my age. I have chosen my own allegiance and served it. I have proved by a lifetime that there is that in man which saves him from the absolute tyranny of circumstance, which in the end conquers and remolds circumstance, the immortal fire of individual will which is the salvation of the future. Let us have men, men who will say a word to their souls and keep it. Keep it not when it is easy but keep it when it is hard. Keep it when the storm roars and there is a white streaked sky and blue thunder before. And one's eyes are blinded and one's ears deafened with the war of opposing things and keep it under the long leaden sky and the gray dreariness that never lifts. Hold unto the last. That is what it means to have a dominant idea. This has been individualism, a reader, edited by George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore, narrated by James Foster. Copyright 2015 by the Cato Institute. Production Copyright 2015 by the Cato Institute.