--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For all the enlightened nations that…" description: "\"“For all the enlightened nations that profess a loyalty to liberty, democracy, economy and all the rest, there has long been a readiness to look for a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/chris-anderson-8010_beheading_for-all-the-enlightened-nations-that-pro_997271.jpg" --- # For all the enlightened nations that profess a loyalty to… ![“For all the enlightened nations that profess a loyalty to liberty, democracy, economy and all the rest, there has long been a readiness to look for a chosen one; as Carlyle pointed out, even the French, those great anti-venerators, those relentless beheaders of Great Men, worshipped Voltaire.” quote by Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/chris-anderson-8010_beheading_for-all-the-enlightened-nations-that-pro_997271.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/chris-anderson-8010_beheading_for-all-the-enlightened-nations-that-pro_997271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/chris-anderson-8010_beheading_for-all-the-enlightened-nations-that-pro_997271.jpg) > ““For all the enlightened nations that profess a loyalty to liberty, democracy, economy and all the rest, there has long been a readiness to look for a chosen one; as Carlyle pointed out, even the French, those great anti-venerators, those relentless beheaders of Great Men, worshipped Voltaire.”” [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even societies that champion liberty can idolize charismatic leaders, revealing a paradox between professed values and actual behavior. **In simple terms:** Liberty‑loving societies may still worship strong figures. Key Takeaway Question the heroes you admire. Themes politics idealism contradiction Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - elections - media coverage - public discourse Key Concepts cult of personality democratic theory Questions to Reflect On - Why do we gravitate toward "chosen ones"? - What are the risks of uncritical admiration? A Different Perspective The tendency to idolize can undermine critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beheading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beheading/) [Carlyle Pointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carlyle-pointed-2080910/) [Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Enlightened Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened-nations-817818/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Loyalty Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty-liberty-2080909/) [Soccer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soccer/) [The-french](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-french-186655/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voltaire/) [Worshipped Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worshipped-voltaire-2080908/) ## Related quotes > [Illiteracy must be banished from the land if we shall attain that high destiny as the foremost of the enlightened nations of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/illiteracy-must-be-banished-from-the-land-if-we-shall-attain-that/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [It will afford me unfeigned satisfaction if my kingdom can add its quota toward the successful accomplishment of the most important astronomical observation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalakaua/it-will-afford-me-unfeigned-satisfaction-if-my-kingdom-can-add-its/) [Kalakaua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalakaua/) > [“The great privilege of the Americans does not simply consist in their being more enlightened than other nations, but in their being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-great-privilege-of-the-americans-does-not-simply-consist-in-their/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Bonjour, the Embassy of France' 'Ah, bonjour, excuse me for asking but where is the French Coastguard?' 'At the coast. Guarding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fitzhigham/bonjour-the-embassy-of-france-ah-bonjour-excuse-me-for-asking-but/) [Tim Fitzhigham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fitzhigham/) > [“I phoned the Admiral back. 'It's no use, Admiral, the French speak nothing but French.' There was a short pause on the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fitzhigham/i-phoned-the-admiral-back-it-s-no-use-admiral-the-french-speak/) [Tim Fitzhigham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fitzhigham/) > [“In a French accent developed through a lifetime of using English I said, 'Hello sir, I would like to row the English Channel in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fitzhigham/in-a-french-accent-developed-through-a-lifetime-of-using-english-i/) [Tim Fitzhigham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fitzhigham/) > [“There's no Coastguard in France. They let the French Navy do it. They have to give them something to do. It's not good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fitzhigham/there-s-no-coastguard-in-france-they-let-the-french-navy-do-it-they/) [Tim Fitzhigham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fitzhigham/) > [“Her constant orders for beheading are shocking to those modern critics of children's literature who feel that juvenile fiction should be free of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/her-constant-orders-for-beheading-are-shocking-to-those-modern/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [“A beautiful day for beheading isn’t it? Not a cloud in the sky a nice cool breeze, if I were going to be executed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-myers/a-beautiful-day-for-beheading-isn-t-it-not-a-cloud-in-the-sky-a-nice/) [Melissa Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-myers/) > [“The Bible also affirms that in the end times God’s people will be martyred by beheading.            “And I saw the souls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/the-bible-also-affirms-that-in-the-end-times-god-s-people-will-be/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [“C’mon, Barney,” said Lucy. “Can’t you give me something for the paper? A body in the water is big news.” Lowering his voice so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-meier/c-mon-barney-said-lucy-can-t-you-give-me-something-for-the-paper-a/) [Leslie Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-meier/) > [“If you interrupt her one more time, I assure you that the Queen of Hearts will have a willing volunteer for beheading. Do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julienne-russell/if-you-interrupt-her-one-more-time-i-assure-you-that-the-queen-of/) [Julienne Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julienne-russell/) > [All I ask is that my final months be happy ones, and that I be permitted a husband who will see to my proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/all-i-ask-is-that-my-final-months-be-happy-ones-and-that-i-be/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [“YAZIDIS AND CHRISTIANS WANT TO BE FREE OF NIGHT MIST AND BEHEADING DRIFT!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/yazidis-and-christians-want-to-be-free-of-night-mist-and-beheading/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [“Because of one unsuccessful beheading?” She tapped her claw to her chin. “Wow. I never thought you were such a pussy. 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And just as every Google search uses its algorithms to produce a different result for each person searching,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/so-everything-is-an-algorithm-now-and-just-as-every-google-search/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“professional journalists who are seeing their jobs evaporate are typically those whose employers failed to find a new role in a world of abundant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/professional-journalists-who-are-seeing-their-jobs-evaporate-are/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“9. free makes other things more valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/9-free-makes-other-things-more-valuable/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“In the atoms economy, which is to say most of the stuff around us, things tend to get more expensive over time. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/in-the-atoms-economy-which-is-to-say-most-of-the-stuff-around-us/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“But when you want to mark a number on an abacus, what do you do if there are no stones in a column? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/but-when-you-want-to-mark-a-number-on-an-abacus-what-do-you-do-if/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“2. Atoms would like to be free, too, but they’re not so pushy about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/2-atoms-would-like-to-be-free-too-but-they-re-not-so-pushy-about-it/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [“1. 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Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/his-most-famous-quote-is-even-simpler-it-is-so-obvious-that-if-anyone/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) [Explore all 42 Chris Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) ## More Beheading quotes > [“Because of one unsuccessful beheading?” She tapped her claw to her chin. “Wow. I never thought you were such a pussy. 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Do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julienne-russell/if-you-interrupt-her-one-more-time-i-assure-you-that-the-queen-of/) [Julienne Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julienne-russell/) > [“C’mon, Barney,” said Lucy. “Can’t you give me something for the paper? A body in the water is big news.” Lowering his voice so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-meier/c-mon-barney-said-lucy-can-t-you-give-me-something-for-the-paper-a/) [Leslie Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-meier/) > [“Her constant orders for beheading are shocking to those modern critics of children's literature who feel that juvenile fiction should be free of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/her-constant-orders-for-beheading-are-shocking-to-those-modern/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [“A beautiful day for beheading isn’t it? Not a cloud in the sky a nice cool breeze, if I were going to be executed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-myers/a-beautiful-day-for-beheading-isn-t-it-not-a-cloud-in-the-sky-a-nice/) [Melissa Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-myers/) > [“The Bible also affirms that in the end times God’s people will be martyred by beheading.            “And I saw the souls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/the-bible-also-affirms-that-in-the-end-times-god-s-people-will-be/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [“They're dreadfully fond of beheading people here; the great wonder is, that there's anyone left alive!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/they-re-dreadfully-fond-of-beheading-people-here-the-great-wonder-is/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“At precisely nine in the morning, working with focus and stealth, our entire membership succeeded in simultaneously beheading no one... not a single one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/at-precisely-nine-in-the-morning-working-with-focus-and-stealth-our/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“If beheading is the medicine of headache, no man can live; why cant you find the real way out?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oladosu-feyikogbon/if-beheading-is-the-medicine-of-headache-no-man-can-live-why-cant-you/) [Oladosu feyikogbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oladosu-feyikogbon/) > [Always remember that the crowd that applauds your coronation is the same crowd that will applaud your beheading. 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