Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c130IR // #c130Synthesis

The seventh rule: A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time, after which it becomes a ritualistic commitment, like going to church on Sunday mornings.

— In our words · Source: Rules for Radicals (Saul D. Alinsky)

[Use when]

When a campaign is running on habit instead of heat.

[Why it matters]

Energy has a shelf life — a stale tactic keeps the form of action while the life drains out of it.

More from Rules for Radicals

#c124Always remember the first rule of power tactics: Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.When you're outnumbered and need to look bigger than you are. #c125The second rule is: Never go outside the experience of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the…Before trying a tactic your people have never seen before. #c126The third rule is: Wherever possible go outside of the experience of the enemy. Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.When you're planning how the enemy will react to something new.