The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, they finish by loading honors on your head.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Society resists true freedom through violence, coercion, or co-option via honors.
- In plain terms
- Society tries to hurt you, trick you, or bribe you to stop being free.
- What can you take from it?
- Freedom is often met with suppression or co-option.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does society reward conformity?
- What does true freedom cost?
Another view
It assumes all honors are corrupting.
More from Jean Cocteau
There are too many souls of wood not to love those wooden characters who do indeed have a soul.
Permalink to quote #30 The skin of all of us is responsive to gypsy songs and military marches.
Permalink to quote #32 He has the manner of a giant with the look of a child, a lazy activeness, a mad wisdom, a solitude encompassing the world.
Permalink to quote #29
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