“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see.”

The opening lines establish the genre of Anthem as dystopian fiction. The narrator alludes to sociopolitical oppression by suggesting that the act of writing is considered corrupt. Additionally, the lines introduce that the narrator is a primary narrator, as they are speaking to the reader.

“We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our bothers who are the State. Amen.”

While in the Home of the Students, the students and teachers recite a nightly prayer to reinforce collectivist ideals. The prayer is intended to condition the students to conform to collectivism and to support the collectivist government system without question.

“And if you are not needed by your brother man, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies.”

The teachers at the Home of the Students insist that everyone must be satisfied with their assignment from the Council of Vocations because the purpose of life is to serve other people. This principle serves as the primary contrast for the author’s true message, which is that the purpose of life is to live for oneself.