stˈeɪnz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd hɪz pəlˈɪɾɪkəl dʒˈɜːni ɪn ɐn ˈɪntɚvjˌuː ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θˈɜːtiːn, "aɪ wʌz "ˈænɚkˌoʊkˈæpɪɾəlˌɪst, ðˈɛn lˌɪbɚtˈɛɹiən, ðˈɛn pɹæɡmˈæɾɪk lˌɪbɚtˈɛɹiən."
Staines described his political journey in an interview in 2013, "I was "anarcho-capitalist, [then] libertarian, then pragmatic libertarian."