While Emma was serious about her causes, she was also a free-spirited, fun-loving woman. Once she was at a party with other prominent activists, and a young man scolded her for dancing. As the leader of the anarchist movement, he said, she shouldn’t be having fun in public, as her “undignified behavior” might hurt their cause. A furious Emma told him to mind his own business, and defended her right to live with joy. She believed that “the way one lived one’s life every day was the most powerful political statement,” and Emma was committed to living with passion as well as purpose.

Action for today: have fun in public. Even be undignified if you can safely manage it. I’ll be dancing. Hope you have fun.