»Samizdat means much more than just ›self-publishing‹.
It was not only about writing, transcribing, copying
or distributing manuscripts, foremost it was about
using civil rights and freedoms as if naturally guaranteed
by the state. This attitude led to the development of
an own cultural environment that served the political
opposition as a backyard and a practical area of life.«

from:
Ilko Sascha Kowalczuk (Hrsg.): Freiheit und Öffentlichkeit, Politischer Samisdat in der DDR 1985–1989
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V., Berlin 2002