--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But again and again there comes a time in…" description: "\"But again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished with death. The schoolteacher is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg" --- # But again and again there comes a time in history when the… ![“But again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished with death. The schoolteacher is well aware of this. And the question is not one of knowing what punishment or reward attends the making of this calculation. The question is one…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg) > “But again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished with death. The schoolteacher is well aware of this. And the question is not one of knowing what punishment or reward attends the making of this calculation. The question is one of knowing whether two and two do make four” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When truth challenges authority, societies may punish dissent, highlighting the clash between objective facts and oppressive power. **In simple terms:** Truth can be dangerous under tyranny. Key Takeaway Stand firm for factual truth. Themes politics truth oppression philosophy justice Mood serious thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - academic debate - whistleblowing - legal defense Key Concepts existentialism authoritarianism ethical courage Questions to Reflect On - What risks do you face when stating obvious facts? - How can societies protect truth‑tellers? A Different Perspective Truth alone may not protect the truth‑teller. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Schoolteacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-schoolteacher-6160963/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-punishment-3539558/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Punished Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished-death-2229845/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Question Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-knowing-3539559/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [There comes a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/there-comes-a-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“There comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished with death. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who-dares-to-say-that-two/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who-dares/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“There always comes a time in history when the person who dares to say that two and two make four is punished by death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-always-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-person-who-dares-to-say/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“But we do not congratulate a schoolmaster on teaching that two and two make four, though we may, perhaps, congratulate him on having chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-we-do-not-congratulate-a-schoolmaster-on-teaching-that-two-and/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“How can all the small insects simultaneously know, without a brain, without knowing anything, that today they should visit this meadow, tomorrow that one?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-fosnes-hansen/how-can-all-the-small-insects-simultaneously-know-without-a-brain/) [Erik Fosnes Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-fosnes-hansen/) > [A good education teaches you how to ask a question. It’s knowing what you don’t know; the skills of critical thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-sizer/a-good-education-teaches-you-how-to-ask-a-question-it-s-knowing-what/) [Ted Sizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-sizer/) > [“Girls were warned by their mothers against infidelity to their husbands, since adultery cost a married woman her nose, or ears; for a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bird-linderman/girls-were-warned-by-their-mothers-against-infidelity-to-their/) [Frank Bird Linderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bird-linderman/) > [The Bible puts forth a strong case for no free will and that's a real problem you know, because the justification for supposedly being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/the-bible-puts-forth-a-strong-case-for-no-free-will-and-that-s-a-real/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [“...This was not illegal, (nothing was illegal since there were no longer laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/this-was-not-illegal-nothing-was-illegal-since-there-were-no-longer/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [...but let it suffice us to know that it became God, who is the supreme Ruler, Governor and Judge of all that sin should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/but-let-it-suffice-us-to-know-that-it-became-god-who-is-the-supreme/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [If people live in constant fear of death, and if breaking the law is punished by death, then who would dare?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-people-live-in-constant-fear-of-death-and-if-breaking-the-law-is/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [there comes a time when ambition ceases to burn, or romance to stir, and the highest cry of the human heart is for peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/there-comes-a-time-when-ambition-ceases-to-burn-or-romance-to-stir/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) > [There comes a time, in the history of Nations when fear and forgetfulness cause a nation to hesitate, to waver and perhaps even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/there-comes-a-time-in-the-history-of-nations-when-fear-and/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [There comes a time when you're losing a fight that it just doesn't make sense to keep on fighting. It's not that you're being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/there-comes-a-time-when-you-re-losing-a-fight-that-it-just-doesn-t/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Dare quotes > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I should not dare to call my soul my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/i-should-not-dare-to-call-my-soul-my-own/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Nobody calls me a racist when I do redneck jokes. Jeff Foxworthy can do as many 'You might be a redneck jokes' as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/nobody-calls-me-a-racist-when-i-do-redneck-jokes-jeff-foxworthy-can/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [Dare to dream! Never underestimate the Power of Our Dream!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dare-to-dream-never-underestimate-the-power-of-our-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why stop now? Seduce me, Brian.I dare you." "I've always found it hard to turn aside a dare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/why-stop-now-seduce-me-brian-i-dare-you-i-ve-always-found-it-hard-to/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-moment-in-which-you-experience-stillness-is-every-moment-don-t/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I tend to get reactions just by being on screen, because I guess I'm physically queer-coded or something. Especially with 'Star Wars;' I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-o-brian/i-tend-to-get-reactions-just-by-being-on-screen-because-i-guess-i-m/) [Katy O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-o-brian/) > [Who would dare assign to art the sterile function of imitating nature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/who-would-dare-assign-to-art-the-sterile-function-of-imitating-nature/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [The male dares to be different to the degree that he accepts his passivity and his desire to be female, his fagginess. The farthest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/the-male-dares-to-be-different-to-the-degree-that-he-accepts-his/) [Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/) > [I drink, I huff, I strut, look big and stare; And all this I can do, because I dare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-villiers/i-drink-i-huff-i-strut-look-big-and-stare-and-all-this-i-can-do/) [Theresa Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-villiers/) [Browse all 2,415 Dare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four is punished with death. The schoolteacher is well aware of this. And the question is not one of knowing what punishment or reward attends the making of this calculation. The question is one of knowing whether two and two do make four", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Camus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dare" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73c/albert-camus-47_dare_but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-i_1615383.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But again and again there comes a time in history when the man who dares to say that two and two make four…” — Albert Camus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Albert Camus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But again and again there comes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-again-and-again-there-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-man-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```