Crowned force has governed ignorance through fear. Hypocrisy and tyranny - two vultures - have fed upon the liberties of man. From all these there has been, and is, but one means of escape - intellectual development. Upon the back industry has been the whip. Upon the brain have been the fetters of superstition. Nothing has been left undone by the enemies of freedom. Every art and artifice, every cruelty and outrage has been practiced and perpetrated to destroy the rights of man. In this great struggle every crime has been rewarded and every virtue has been punished. Reading, writing, thinking and investigating have all been crimes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Governance through fear and superstition has suppressed human liberty. Intellectual development and critical thinking are the only ways to escape tyranny and restore rights.
- In plain terms
- Fear and superstition keep people enslaved; thinking and education set them free.
- What can you take from it?
- Use reason and education to fight tyranny and superstition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What tools best defend human liberty?
- How does fear control people?
Another view
Intellectual development alone may not dismantle all systems of power.
More from Robert G. Ingersoll
Courage without conscience is a wild beast.
Permalink to quote #95 Do not, I pray you, pluck from the heart the sweet flower of pity and trample it in the bloody dust of superstition.
Permalink to quote #97 Colleges are places where pebbles are polished and diamonds are dimmed.
Permalink to quote #94
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