Servitude Quotes

“You're just another american who is willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick being shoved up your asshole every day... The owners of this country know the truth... it's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it!”
― George Carlin

“Human nature is universally imbued with a desire for liberty, and a hatred for servitude.”
― Julius Ceasar

“The populace consists of individuals and free men, while the state is made up of numbers. When the state dominates, killing becomes abstract. Servitude began with the shepherds; in the river valleys it attained perfection with canals and dikes. Its model was the slavery in mines and mills. Since then, the ruses for concealing chains have been refined.”
― Ernst Jünger, Eumeswil

“The enlightened are servants of the rich and poor, helpers of the weak and powerful, friends of the lowly and eminent. They are servants of mankind.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“You are the best of our people, but you are not yet good enough.”
― Roxane Gay, Black Panther: World of Wakanda

“It contrives the acceptance of injustice, crime, and falsehood by the promise of a miracle. Still greater production, still more power, uninterrupted labor, incessant suffering, permanent war, and then a moment will come when universal bondage in the totalitarian empire will be miraculously changed into its opposite: free leisure in a universal republic. Pseudo-revolutionary mystification has now acquired a formula: all freedom must be crushed in order to conquer the empire, and one day the empire will be the equivalent of freedom. And so the way to unity passes through totality.[...]Totality is, in effect, nothing other than the ancient dream of unity common to both believers and rebels, but projected horizontally onto an earth deprived of God. To renounce every value, therefore, amounts to renouncing rebellion in order to accept the Empire and slavery. Criticism of formal values cannot pass over the concept of freedom. Once the impossibility has been recognized of creating, by means of the forces of rebellion alone, the free individual of whom the romantics dreamed, freedom itself has also been incorporated in the movement of history. It has become freedom fighting for existence, which, in order to exist, must create itself. Identified with the dynamism of history, it cannot play its proper role until history comes to a stop, in the realization of the Universal City. Until then, every one of its victories will lead to an antithesis that will render it pointless. The German nation frees itself from its oppressors, but at the price of the freedom of every German. The individuals under a totalitarian regime are not free, even though man in the collective sense is free. Finally, when the Empire delivers the entire human species, freedom will reign over herds of slaves, who at least will be free in relation to God and, in general, in relation to every kind of transcendence. The dialectic miracle, the transformation of quantity into quality, is explained here: it is the decision to call total servitude freedom. Moreover, as in all the examples cited by Hegel and Marx, there is no objective transformation, but only a subjective change of denomination. In other words, there is no miracle. If the only hope of nihilism lies in thinking that millions of slaves can one day constitute a humanity which will be freed forever, then history is nothing but a desperate dream. Historical thought was to deliver man from subjection to a divinity; but this liberation demanded of him the most absolute subjection to historical evolution. Then man takes refuge in the permanence of the party in the same way that he formerly prostrated himself before the altar. That is why the era which dares to claim that it is the most rebellious that has ever existed only offers a choice of various types of conformity. The real passion of the twentieth century is servitude.”
― Albert Camus, The Rebel

“So tell me, giant philosopher, why we're not dukes," the Gray Mouser demanded, unrolling a forefinger from the fist on his knee so that it pointed across the brazier at Fafhrd. "Or emperors, for that matter, or demigods."

"We are not dukes because we're no man's man," Fafhrd replied smugly, settling his shoulders against the stone horse-trough. "Even a duke must butter up a king, and demigods the gods. We butter no one. We go our own way, choosing our own adventure—and our own follies! Better freedom and a chilly road than a warm hearth and servitude."

"There speaks the hound turned out by his last master and not yet found new boots to slaver on," the Mouser retorted with comradely sardonic impudence. "Look you, you noble liar, we've labored for a dozen lords and kings and merchants fat. You've served Movarl across the Inner Sea. I've served the bandit Harsel. We've both served this Glipkerio, whose girl is tied to Ilthmar this same night."

"Those are exception," Fafhrd protested grandly. "And even when we serve, we make the rules. We bow to no man's ultimate command, dance to no wizard's drumming, join no mob, hark to no wildering hate-call. When we draw sword, it's for ourselves alone.”
― Fritz Leiber, Swords in the Mist

“Enslavement to God signifies liberation from all other forms of servitude, and although modern man may think that he is liberated, he is in fact a slave to his desires... He is ‘addicted’ to hoarding wealth, sex, violence, intoxicants and so on. But above all, he is often seduced by the capitalist system that tends to work through the invention of false needs, which he feels must be satisfied instantly.”
― Donald W. Flood, The Best Way to Live and Die

“But I love Sir long time, she'd said repeatedly, blubbering, but I love Sir long time.
The wife got up and slapped her smartly across the face. Love? The wife gave a bark of laughter. What do you think you know about love?”
― Amanda Lee Koe, Ministry of Moral Panic

“All liberation depends on the consciousness of servitude and the emergence of this consciousness is always hampered by the predominance of needs and satisfactions which, to a great extent, have become the individual's own.”
― Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society

“The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments—the ones abolishing slavery and guaranteeing citizenship rights—still exist, but they’ve been so weakened by custom, by Congress and the various state legislatures, and by recent Supreme Court decisions that they don’t much matter. Indenturing indigents is supposed to keep them employed, teach them a trade, feed them, house them, and keep them out of trouble. In fact, it’s just one more way of getting people to work for nothing or almost nothing.”
― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents

“Rien n'est plus inconsistant qu'un régime politique qui est indifférent à la vérité: mais rien n'est plus dangereux qu'un système politique qui prétend prescrire la vérité. La fonction du 'dire vrai' n'a pas à prendre la forme de la loi, tout comme il serait vain de croire qu'elle réside de plein droit dans les jeux spontanés de la communication. La tâche du dire vrai est un travail infini: la respecter dans sa complexité est une obligation dont aucun pouvoir ne peut faire l'économie. Sauf à imposer le silence de la servitude.”
― Michel Foucault, Dits et écrits, tome II : 1976-1988

“Je doute que toute la philosophie du monde parvienne à supprimer l'esclavage : on en changera tout au plus le nom. Je suis capable d'imaginer des formes de servitudes pires que les notre parce que plus insidieuses : soit qu'on réussisse à transformer les hommes en machines stupides et satisfaites, qui se croient libres alors qu'elles sont asservies, soit qu'on développe chez eux, à l'exclusion des loisirs et des plaisirs humains, un goût du travail aussi forcené que la passion de la guerre chez les races barbares. A cette servitude de l'esprit, ou de l'imagination humaine, je préfère encore notre esclavage de fait.”
― Marguerite Yourcenar, Mémoires d'Hadrien

“Je doute que toute la philosophie du monde parvienne à supprimer l'esclavage : on en changera tout au plus le nom. Je suis capable d'imaginer des formes de servitudes pires que les nôtres parce que plus insidieuses : soit qu'on réussisse à transformer les hommes en machines stupides et satisfaites, qui se croient libres alors qu'elles sont asservies, soit qu'on développe chez eux, à l'exclusion des loisirs et des plaisirs humains, un goût du travail aussi forcené que la passion de la guerre chez les races barbares. A cette servitude de l'esprit, ou de l'imagination humaine, je préfère encore notre esclavage de fait.”
― Marguerite Yourcenar, Mémoires d'Hadrien

“The knowledge of his or her state of serfdom never set a slave free, though a good start it is. It is actually finding the way to be free is what does it. - On Freedom”
― Lamine Pearlheart

“दासी के हाथ होते हैं, पाँव होते हैं किन्तु मुँह नहीं होता! और मन? वह तो होता ही नहीं!”
― Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar, Yayati: A Classic Tale of Lust

“Against Machiavelli's Prince, a treatise on the ploys of domination, we should set a treatise on the ruses of servitude. Its ploys are not those of the lion, but of the fox; not those of the eagle, but of the moray eel and the chameleon.”
― Jean Baudrillard, Cool Memories V: 2000 - 2004

“Pois, em verdade, o que é aproximar-se do tirano senão recuar mais de sua liberdade e, por assim dizer, apertar com as duas mãos e abraçar a servidão? Que ponham um pouco de lado sua ambição e que se livrem um pouco de sua avareza, e depois, que olhem-se a si mesmos e se reconheçam; e verão claramente que os aldeões, os camponeses que espezinham o quanto podem e os tratam pior do que a forçados ou escravos — verão que esses, assim maltratados, são no entanto felizes e mais livres elo que eles. O lavrador e o artesão, ainda que subjugados, ficam quites ao fazer o que lhes dizem; mas o tirano vê os outros que lhe são próximos trapaceando e mendigando seu favor; não só é preciso que façam o que diz mas que pensem o que quer e amiúde, para satisfazê-lo, que ainda antecipem seus pensamentos. Para eles não basta obedecê-lo, também é preciso agradá-lo, é preciso que se arrebentem, que se atormentem, que se matem de trabalhar nos negócios dele; e já que se aprazem com o prazer dele, que deixam seu gosto pelo dele, que forçam sua compleição, que despem o seu natural, é preciso que estejam atentos às palavras dele, à voz dele, aos sinais dele, e aos olhos dele; que não tenham olho, pé, mão, que tudo esteja alerta para espiar as vontades dele e descobrir seus pensamentos. Isso é viver feliz? Chama-se a isso, viver? Há no mundo algo menos suportável do que isso, não digo para um homem de coração, não digo para um bem-nascido, mas apenas para um que tenha o senso comum ou nada mais que a face de homem? Que condição é mais miserável que viver assim, nada tendo de seu, recebendo de outrem sua satisfação, sua liberdade, seu corpo e sua vida?”
― Étienne de La Boétie, The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude

“Our breath serves the mind, not the other way around.”
― A.D. Aliwat, In Limbo

“Let knowledge serve our people for ages to come.”
― Toneavii

“Hon lärde sig kort sagt otroligt snabbt hur han ville ha det. En människa med sådan känslighet för andras önskningar hade under andra förhållanden lätt kunnat bli politiker, Eller kanske art director i en byrå. Dick hade sett alldeles för mycket av livet för att tro att de som hade ett fint yrke var de som var speciellt lämpade för det. Ofta var det tvärtom. Vad människor dög till visade sig bara i långa loppet. Eller i något mycket unikt ögonblick, som var just deras och ingen annans.”
― Lars Gustafsson, La clandestina

“It's politics. You are angry with politics. I understand that. Truly, I do. As powerful as I am, where I come from I am considered a third-tier being. The lords and the royals—some of whom know nothing of the horrors and hardships of war—reign over me. It angers me to no end, and yet I continue. I follow. I do what I must. I do what I have to. I follow the path laid out in front of me. I do my duty.”

“Then how are you any different from the slaves?”

“We are all slaves, whether we want to accept it or not. It's finding higher meaning in the process of servitude where we find relief.”
― Steven Seril, The Destroyer of Worlds: An Answer to Every Question

“Daylight meant that she must exist in a world that was growing darker and darker because she knew that there was not a man within miles who wanted a plain twenty-nine-year-old spinster.”
― Laura Langdon

“On se moque des diseurs de bonne aventure. Il faut sinon se moquer, en tout cas se méfier des bâtisseurs d'avenir. Surtout quand pour bâtir l'avenir des hommes à naître, ils ont besoin de faire mourir les hommes vivants. L'homme n'est la matière première que de sa propre vie.
Je refuse d'obéir.”
― Jean Giono, Refus d'obéissance

“Pense só, Ánia: seu avô, seu bisavô e todos os seus antepassados eram senhores de servos, possuíam almas vivas, 14 e quem sabe, em cada cereja do jardim, em cada folha, em cada tronco de árvore, uma criatura humana está olhando para a senhora, quem sabe a senhora não chega até a ouvir vozes… Possuir almas vivas… isso acabou degenerando todos vocês, os que viveram antes e os que agora continuam a viver, como sua mãe, a senhora mesma, e seu tio, que já nem percebe que vocês vivem endividados, vivem à custa dos outros, à custa das pessoas que vocês não deixam avançar… Estamos atrasados pelo menos uns duzentos anos, ainda não temos rigorosamente nada, nenhuma relação definida com o passado, nos limitamos a filosofar, reclamamos da melancolia ou bebemos vodca. Pois está claro que, para começar a viver de verdade, primeiro é preciso pagar pelo nosso passado, acertar as contas com ele, e só se pode pagar com sofrimento, só com um trabalho extraordinário e incessante.”
― Anton Tchekhov, Quatro Peças

“There is in fact a manly and legitimate passion for equality that incites men to want to be strong and esteemed. This passion tends to elevate the small to the rank of the great. But in the human heart a depraved taste for equality is also found that leads the weak to want to bring the strong down to their level and that reduces men to preferring equality in servitude to inequality in liberty.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America - Volume 1: The Original 1835 Edition Text

“Chain! Chain you! What! Run you not, then,
just where you please, and when?”
“Not always, sir; but what of that?”
“Enough for me, to spoil your fat!
It ought to be a precious price
which could to servile chains entice;
for me, I’ll shun them while I’ve wit.”
So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet.”
― Jean de la Fontaine, Le loup dans les fables - La Fontaine - 2

“Sara would be sitting on a chair at the foot of his bed, rubbing his feet. Even just walking past, I could feel her concentration; it was huge and fleshy, like her yelling.”
― Mary Gaitskill;, Veronica

“I was that servant girl again, so distant now that her return struck me with despondence and torn familiarity.”
― Kailey Bright, Unity

“You are free, and you bind yourself to what sets your heart on fire. You bind yourself to what matters.”
― Kailey Bright, Unity