Famous quotes explained: « tyrants are only great because we are on our knees », Discourse on Voluntary Servitude La Boétie, 1576.

The humanist writer, a friend of Montaigne, is known for his essay Discourse on Voluntary Servitude (1576). He is perhaps the first theorist of civil disobedience, which is so popular today. He demonstrates that a tyrant, in other words an illegitimate leader who is harmful to the general interest, cannot establish and maintain power without the consent, even tacit, of the population.

Indeed, his power rests on a pyramid of submission, which first concerns his courtiers to whom he distributes privileges, who in turn enslave vassals, who control localities… The tyrant, solitary by nature, can only maintain his domination through different layers, different strata. He cannot be present everywhere, nor can he be strong enough alone to supervise an entire society.

Thus, tyrants are only great because we are on our knees. They are placed above us only because we let them. In his work, La Boétie calls for courage and will, but also for lucidity: what can a tyrant do against the mass of the people? In this, he seems to be a precursor of revolutionary thoughts, but also of the American philosopher Thoreau, who wrote Civil Disobedience in the 19th century (1849).

tyrants are only great because we are on our knees

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