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About this quote

What does it mean?
Failing to think independently makes one a slave to others and a traitor to oneself.
In plain terms
If you do not think for yourself you are a slave and traitor.
What can you take from it?
Think independently to avoid slavery.

Where it applies

  • education
  • self-improvement
  • civic duty

Putting it to work

  • developing critical thinking
  • avoiding conformity

Questions to consider

  • Do you think for yourself?
  • What is independent thought?

Another view

Relying on others can be practical in complex situations.

More from Robert G. Ingersoll

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  2. The man who invented the telescope found out more about heaven than the closed eyes of prayer ever discovered.

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  3. The man who accepts opinions because they have been entertained by distinguished people, is a mental snob.

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