26
" The despot subdues his subjects, some of them by means of others, and thus is he protected by those from whom, if they were decent men, he would have to guard against himself; just as, in order to split wood, one has to use a wedge of the wood itself. Such are his archers, his guards, his halberdiers; not that they do not suffer occasionally at his hands, but this riff-raff, abandoned alike by God and man, can be led to endure evil if permitted to commit it, not against him who exploits them, but against those who like themselves submit, but are helpless. "
― Étienne de La Boétie
27
" Plays, farces, spectacles, gladiators, strange beasts, medals, pictures, and other such opiates, these were for ancient peoples the bait toward slavery, the price of their liberty, the instruments of tyranny. By these practices and enticements the ancient dictators so successfully lulled their subjects under the yoke, that the stupefied peoples, fascinated by the pastimes and vain pleasures flashed before their eyes, learned subservience as naively, but not so creditably, as little children learn to read by looking at bright picture books. "
― Étienne de La Boétie
33
" (...)Ora, comumente, ficam sem efeito o bom zelo e afeição dos que apesar do tempo conservaram a devoção à franquia, por mais numerosos que sejam, porque não se conhecem; sob o tirano, é-lhes tirada toda a liberdade de fazer, de falar, e quase de pensar: todos se tornam singulares em suas fantasias. Portanto, Momo, o deus zombeteiro, não zombou demais quando censurou o homem que Vulcano fizera por não ter-lhe posto uma janelinha no coração para que por aí se pudesse ver seus pensamentos.(...) "
― Étienne de La Boétie , The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude
