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In public, the pseudonymous Internet drug czar known as the Dread Pirate Roberts doesn't say much. Roberts' website, the illegal, anonymous drug-selling black market known as the Silk Road, has survived only because of its creator's discretion. On the rare occasions when DPR speaks to the press, he (or she) does so in short messages, and--at least in my case--only through the anonymizing service Tor, the same cryptographic tool used to prevent the Feds from tracking down the Silk Road's servers or its users. Thanks to that discretion, the Silk Road's Bitcoin-driven narcotics trade has thrived for more than two years without being shut down by law enforcement, and its founder hasn't been identified.

But within the community that the Dread Pirate Roberts has created, Silk Road's founder is hardly so shy. On the Tor-hidden online forums associated with Silk Road, Roberts posts long manifestos, philosophical and political musings, love letters to Silk Road's users, and even hosts the Dread Pirate Roberts Book Club, a reading and discussion group devoted to "agorism, counter-economics, anarcho-capitalism, Austrian economics, political philosophy, freedom issues and related topics."


Below, I've assembled DPR's writings from Silk Road's forum on every topic from the War on Drugs to Ron Paul to his own motives and ideology. Since most readers don't use Tor, I've copied some entire long passages here. But for those who do use Tor, I've added links at the end of each subject back to Silk Road's Tor-hidden community forum, where you can read all of Roberts' words in context.

On the Silk Road as a practical libertarian system:

"Silk Road was founded on libertarian principles and continues to be operated on them. It is a great idea and a great practical system...It is not a utopia. It is regulated by market forces, not a central power (even I am subject to market forces by my competition. No one is forced to be here). The same principles that have allowed Silk Road to flourish can and do work anywhere human beings come together. The only difference is that the State is unable to get its thieving murderous mitts on it." [10/1/2012]

On the War on Drugs: (In response to criticisms from another user who said that Silk Road hasn't affected the War on Drugs)

"Silk Road has already made an impact on the war on drugs. The effect of the war is to limit people's access to controlled substances. Silk Road has expanded people's access. The great thing about agorism is that it is a victory from a thousand battles. Every single transaction that takes place outside the nexus of state control is a victory for those individuals taking part in the transaction. So there are thousands of victories here each week and each one makes a difference, strengthens the agora, and weakens the state." [9/23/2012]

On the potential for drug cartels to form on Silk Road:

"Cartels are nearly impossible to maintain without the use of violence, especially in an environment as competitive as Silk Road. There is also nothing morally wrong with them. If a cartel were to form, I would not attempt to break it up unless its members were breaking other rules. If you want an explanation for why cartels are nearly impossible to maintain in a free market environment, please read "Man, Economy and State" chapter 10, part 2, section D." [3/21/2013]

On maintaining the trust of Silk Road's users: (after a Silk Road outage raised concerns among users that the site’s administrators might have run off with the funds stored on the site)

"I know this whole market is based on the trust you put in me and I don't take that lightly. It's an honor to serve you and though you don't know who I am, and have no recourse if I were to betray you, I hope that as time goes on I will have more opportunities to demonstrate that my intentions are genuine and no amount of money could buy my integrity.


On the “heroes” who sell drugs on Silk Road:

"There are heroes among us here at Silk Road. Every day they risk their lives, fortunes, and precious liberty for us. They are on the front lines making tough decisions and working their asses off to make this market what it is. Of course I am talking about our vendors. I won't try to acknowledge them individually because we are blessed with so many extraordinary people who have stepped up to the task and taken it upon themselves to find a way to stock the shelves at Silk Road. They labor tirelessly to balance the heavy responsibilities they've taken on. From customer support, to supply chain and inventory management, to promotion, to quality control, to risk management and mitigation, to IT, to Bitcoin finance, to order fulfillment, and on and on, these guys and gals are professionals that are rising to the top of their game."[2/27/2012]


"Money is one motivating factor for me. If it wasn't I wouldn't impose a commission on trades, or require vendors to use the Silk Road payment processor. Money motivates me for two reasons. For one, I have basic human needs that money allows me to meet so that I may devote my time to our cause. I also enjoy a few first-world pleasures that I feel I have earned, but nothing extravagant. In fact, compared to most I know, I still live quite frugally. I buy better food at the grocery store now, and got some new clothes, and am more generous with my friends and loved ones, but I've always been a cheap ass, and still kinda am out of habit. Besides that, I don't want the attention that buying big toys brings for security reasons.

More importantly, money is powerful, and it's going to take power to affect the kinds of changes I want to see. Money allows us to expand our infrastructure and manpower to accommodate the growing demands of our market and to pursue paths that will compliment and strengthen what's already been created here.

All that being said, my primary motivation is not personal wealth, but making a difference. As corny as it sounds, I just want to look back on my life and know that I did something worthwhile that helped people. It's fulfilling to me. If you don't know this joy, you may hear my words as insincere and as a way to manipulate, but I know they are true and resonate with some of you. There is nothing wrong with living your life to maximize your own pleasure, so long as you aren't hurting anyone in the process, but you will miss out on higher levels of happiness if your focus is always on yourself. It's paradoxical, but the less you focus on your own happiness and focus on others’, the happier you'll be. Try it out, you can always go back to being selfish. :)" [9/23/2012]


"Silk Road is an ENTERPRISE that is just getting started. It could literally change the world as we know it. It is bigger than any one of us, and it is going to take the dedication and will of MANY talented people, a lot of luck, and RESOURCES to get from here to there. Do you want to see this thing go all the way and take the absolute piss out of the power mongers of this world? Do you want to give it every chance it needs to succeed? Why aren't you telling me to raise the commission even further then? I don't hear anyone refusing the commission break on high priced goods. I don't hear anyone saying “don't do that, you need it, you keep this whole thing going, we're happy to do our part.”




"The state may try to ban our tools, but if we never use them for fear of them being banned, then we have already lost, no?  Personally, I don't think they can be effectively banned at this point.  Iran and China, for example, are actively trying and failing." [9/23/2012]


"We at Silk Road have no moral objection to the sale of small-arm weaponry. We believe that an individual's ability to defend themselves is a cornerstone of a civil society. Without this, those with weapons with eventually walk all over defenseless individuals. It could be criminals who prey on others, knowing they are helpless. It could be police brutalizing people with no fear of immediate reprisal. And as was seen too many times in the last century, it could be an organized government body committing genocide on an entire unarmed populace. Without the ability to defend them, the rest of your human rights will be eroded and stripped away as well.

That being said, there is no reason we have to force everyone into a one-size-fits-all market where one group has to compromise their beliefs for the benefit of another. That's the kind of narrow thinking currently used by governments around the world. It's why we are in this mess in the first place. The majority in many countries feel that drugs and guns should be illegal or heavily regulated, so the minority suffers.

Here at Silk Road, we recognize the smallest minority of all, YOU! Every person is unique, and their human rights are more important than any lofty goal, any mission, or any program. An individual's rights ARE the goal, ARE the mission, ARE the program. If the majority wants to ban the sale of guns on Silk Road, there is no way we are going to turn our backs on the minority who needs weaponry for self defense." [2/26/2012]

On closing “the Armory" six months later:

"As most of you have figured out, we are closing the Armory. Your first question is probably "why?" Well, it just wasn't getting used enough. Spinning it off originally was done somewhat abruptly and while we supported it, it was a kind of "sink or swim" experiment. The volume hasn't even been enough to cover server costs and is actually waning at this point. I had high hopes for it, but if we are going to serve an anonymous weapons market, I think it will require more careful thought and planning."

On DPR's excitement at Silk Road's success:

"You'll have to wait for my memoirs for the juicy details, lol. I've got some stories though, I'll tell ya. One weird thing that goes through my head when Silk Road goes through a growth spurt, like after the first Gawker article is that sound effect from Inception, or the intense music from the new Tron movie. It gives me the sensation of 'holy shit, this is EPIC!'" [8/2/2012]

On the users' power to control Silk Road:

"The way I see it, we are all players in something that has grown way beyond any one of us. Granted I play a unique role, but part of that role is continually earning the trust of the community to make the right choices going forward, and to serve each of you as best I can. Silk Road was built to serve you, your needs and desires are the wind that fills its sails. Without you, we are dead in the water. So sure, it's my job to steer and chart the course, and I am ultimately responsible for the outcome of this experiment, but never forget where the real power lies. It's where it always has been, in your hands." [7/31/2012]



On the Federal Reserve:


In fact, this is the beauty of libertarianism. The people are free to choose what system they want. No need for one size fits all government solutions. If you want to use a debt based inflationary monetary system, go right ahead, doesn't affect me so long as you don't try to force me to use it as well." [1/30/2013]

On the movie V for Vendetta, which was suggested watching material for a Dread Pirate Roberts "movie night":


On the framers of the Constitution:

"I have a pet theory about where the framers went wrong. First off, I can't applaud them enough for what they accomplished given the circumstances. It's easy to critique centuries later, supported by the wealth their system allowed to emerge. But I wonder how things would have happened differently had the constitution been 100% voluntary. As in, here are the rules our members live by and how those rules are amended. If you want to be in the club, you must pay your dues and follow the rules, but if you want to go it alone, or join a different club, we won't bother you unless you bother us, and you are free to go at any time." [10/16/2012]

On Ron Paul:

"A mighty hero in my book." [11/15/2012]

On whether Silk Road's users are really free market believers or only serving their own needs:


I'm out to turn unconscious agorists into conscious active ones. :)" [10/04/2012]


"There is an important point you are overlooking in your assessment of the positive benefits of warfare, and that is the costs, both seen and unseen. The seen costs are obvious: death and destruction. However, the unseen costs alone make the benefits you mentioned not worthwhile. That unseen cost is lost demand in the private sector. It's simple: the resources used in warfare are unavailable to private individuals. We have no idea what people would've done with the trillions of dollars worth of resources that have gone into blowing people and things up, not to mention the resources that were directly destroyed. Considering the efficiency with which people competing in the market operate, and the inefficiency of the military bureaucracy, I suspect that the innovation and wealth produced by a world without war would make any advances the military has made look negligible." [10/11/2012]

On the TSA and airline security:


On child labor and labor conditions:



And this is exactly what has happened eventually, where now employers do all they can to attract good employees away from their competitors." [10/3/2012]

On the power held by large corporations:


On environmentalism and sustainable economic growth:


On the minimum wage:

"How about someone whose labor is worth less than minimum wage? These people are not allowed to work even if they are willing and able. They wind up homeless or in government programs where they get no productive skills. They don't benefit, and the rest of us don't benefit. If they were allowed to work, they could gain productive skills and work their way up above the "poverty line", enriching themselves and others. Give them a chance." [10/1/2012]

On the idea of privatized instead of state-run police:


...Bullies are bad and should be spanked." [10/1/2012]

On the need for government:


The question I present to you is, do we want a single entity monopolizing the provision of all of these critical goods and services, or do we want a choice?" [9/29/2012]

On DPR's love for the Silk Road community:



On legalizing and taxing drugs:



Here's the rub: the drug war is an acute symptom of a deeper problem, and that problem is the state. If they “legalize, regulate and tax” it, it's just one more part of society under their thumb, another productive sector that they can leech off of.

If prohibition is lifted, most people here will go away. You'll go back to your lives and get your drugs from whatever state certified dispensaries are properly licensed to sell to you. Drug use will be as interesting as smoking and drinking.

Here's my point: Silk Road is about something much bigger than thumbing your nose at the man and getting your drugs anyway. It's about taking back our liberty and our dignity and demanding justice. If prohibition is lifted, and the drug industry is placed under the yoke of the state, then we won in a small way, but lost in a big way. Right now, drugs are ours. They aren't tainted by the government. We the people control their manufacture, distribution and consumption. We should be looking to expand that control, taking back our power, no giving what is ours to the very people that have been our enemies all along.


Don't be tempted by this short-term easy fix of “let the government handle it.” Their time is coming to an end. The future is OUR time. Let us take this opportunity they've given us to gain a foothold from which we can throw that yoke off completely. We are NOT beasts of burden to be taxed and controlled and regulated. WE are free spirits! We DEMAND respect! The future can be a time where the human spirit flourishes, unbridled, wild and free! Don't be so quick to put on that harness and pull for the parasites.


I know where I'll be. I won't rest until children are born into a world where oppression, institutional violence and control, world war, and all the other hallmarks of the state are as ancient history as pharaohs commanding armies of slaves. The drug war merely brings to light their nature and shows us who they really are. Legalizing it won't change that and will only make them stronger. Hold on to what you DO have, and stand for the freedom you deserve!" [4/29/2012]


"*hug* Hugs not drugs.... no wait, hugs AND drugs!" [4/20/2012]

And finally, on what inspires him:

"Hey gang,







We are like a little seed in a big jungle that has just broken the surface of the forest floor. It's a big scary jungle with lots of dangerous creatures, each honed by evolution to survive in the hostile environment known as human society. All manner of corporation, government agency, small family businesses, anything that can gain a foothold and survive. But the environment is rapidly changing and the jungle has never seen a species quite like the Silk Road. You can see it, but you can't touch it. It is elusive, yet powerful, and we are evolving at a rapid clip, experimenting, trying to find sturdy ground we can put roots down in.


Some day, we could be a shining beacon of hope for the oppressed people of the world just as so many oppressed and violated souls have found refuge here already. Will it happen overnight? No. Will it happen in a lifetime? I don't know. Is it worth fighting for until my last breath. Of course. Once you've seen what's possible, how can you do otherwise? How can you plug yourself into the tax eating, life sucking, violent, sadistic, war mongering, oppressive machine ever again? How can you kneel when you've felt the power of your own legs? Felt them stretch and flex as you learn to walk and think as a free person? I would rather live my life in rags now than in golden chains. And now we can have both! Now it is profitable to throw off one's chains, with amazing crypto technology reducing the risk of doing so dramatically. How many niches have yet to be filled in the world of anonymous online markets? The opportunity to prosper and take part in a revolution of epic proportions is at our fingertips!


Dread Pirate Roberts" [3/20/2012]

