Notable Quote

"He who thus domineers over you has only two eyes, only two hands, only one body, no more than is possessed by the least man among the infinite numbers dwelling in your cities; he has indeed nothing more than the power that you confer upon him to destroy you. From where has he acquired enough eyes to spy upon you, if you do not provide them yourselves?"

de La Boétie, Étienne event 1576

From Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

Context: On the source of the tyrant's power — entirely derived from those he rules. From Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. English translation by Harry Kurz (1942).