The Social Contract Quotes

Context

Talk about a killer opening line.

This quote opens Rousseau's Social Contract Theory, an important treatise in both philosophy and politics. Here's the quick version: Rousseau says that all men are born into a state of freedom (uh, except that we can't quite get out of our cribs)—human nature is all about autonomy and being in control of yourself.

He thinks back on the wonderful time when humans were primitive, roaming around without anyone telling us which elk to hunt or which berries to gather. Our philosopher admits that some developments of society—like technology and human connection—have their advantages, but that they're outweighed by the inequalities and injustices our society has produced.

So…what are we supposed to do? Well, Social Contract Theory suggests the people should choose what laws they are ruled by (and the government that enforces the law would be a separate entity). Might not not sound too revolutionary now, but in a time when kings, queens, and dauphins were dishing out orders and lopping of heads, it was a pretty big deal—just ask the French.

Where you've heard it

Unless you're studying the French Revolution (in which case, we might be besties), you probably haven't heard this quote thrown around too much.

Still, Rousseau is far from irrelevant these days—we're sure he would find plenty of chains that are still enslaving mankind.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This one is probably gonna sound a little hyperbolic in most situations. Unless you're a powerhouse thinker like Rousseau, it might be hard to seriously critique society in such a powerful, dramatic way without sounding like you should be sporting a monocle and some tweed.