When we leave people on their own, we are delivering them into the hands of a ruthless taskmaster from whose bondage there is no escape. The individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Leaving people alone forces them into self-imposed struggle that becomes an inescapable bondage.
- In plain terms
- Leaving people alone traps them in self-imposed struggle.
- What can you take from it?
- Isolation can become a trap of self-bondage.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does independence feel like freedom or bondage?
- When does relying on yourself become too much?
Another view
Some people thrive in independence and self-bondage.
More from Eric Hoffer
When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.
Permalink to quote #224 Whoever originated the cliche that money is the root of all evil knew hardly anything about the nature of evil and very little about human beings.
Permalink to quote #226 What are we when we are alone? Some, when they are alone, cease to exist.
Permalink to quote #223
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