Nechayev was the author or main author of a famous revolutionary pamphlet, called the "Catechism of a Revolutionary". The pamphlet bears the name of Mikhail Bakunin, a well-known anarchist, but it is thought all or most of it is by Nechayev. The work called for total devotion to a revolutionary lifestyle. "The Catechism of a Revolutionary" argued that any means (including blackmail and murder) could be used to advance the cause of revolution.