--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you think about the abolition of…" description: "\"When you think about the abolition of slavery for example, for the ruling class with the rich white people owning plantations and states, and things li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/edward-snowden-555_abolition_when-you-think-about-the-abolition-of-sl_2019688.jpg" --- # When you think about the abolition of slavery for example… ![“When you think about the abolition of slavery for example, for the ruling class with the rich white people owning plantations and states, and things like that, slavery was to their benefit. To oppose it didn't make any sense at all on a rational basis. But on a rights basis, on a principle basis…” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/edward-snowden-555_abolition_when-you-think-about-the-abolition-of-sl_2019688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/edward-snowden-555_abolition_when-you-think-about-the-abolition-of-sl_2019688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47b/edward-snowden-555_abolition_when-you-think-about-the-abolition-of-sl_2019688.jpg) > “When you think about the abolition of slavery for example, for the ruling class with the rich white people owning plantations and states, and things like that, slavery was to their benefit. To oppose it didn't make any sense at all on a rational basis. But on a rights basis, on a principle basis, it made obvious, overwhelming sense.” [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Slavery persisted because it benefited the powerful; rational arguments alone couldn’t end it, but moral principles did. **In simple terms:** Rights and principles can outweigh self‑interest. Key Takeaway Advocate for justice even when it’s irrationally costly. Themes justice morality power economics Mood urgent inspirational Type political motivational When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - education - community organizing Key Concepts political theory ethics history Questions to Reflect On - What moral arguments can shift entrenched power structures? - How do we sustain moral conviction against rational self‑interest? A Different Perspective Economic interests often resist moral change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition/) [Abolition of slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition-of-slavery/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Like Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-slavery-990654/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Overwhelming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelming/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plantations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plantations/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Ruling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruling/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Benefit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-benefit-3652591/) [Slavery Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-example-2660693/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Think Abolition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-abolition-3652590/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) ## Related quotes > [Many Southern Plantation owners were working towards the day when they could convert their investment to more profitable industrial production as had been done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/many-southern-plantation-owners-were-working-towards-the-day-when/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [If you're creating a slave situation, you would almost never bring women. And if we look at Slavery for example, we look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/if-you-re-creating-a-slave-situation-you-would-almost-never-bring/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [When the first people started to argue against slavery, for example, this was a new idea. If you crowd-source, you'd never come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/when-the-first-people-started-to-argue-against-slavery-for-example/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [When you look at a corporation, just like when you look at a slave owner, you want to distinguish between the institution and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-you-look-at-a-corporation-just-like-when-you-look-at-a-slave/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Slavery is, as an example of what white America has done, a constant reminder of what white America might do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/slavery-is-as-an-example-of-what-white-america-has-done-a-constant/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [I excavate history. I look at lives buried under too much silence. Periods of time, like slavery, have to be revisited, reimagined, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-excavate-history-i-look-at-lives-buried-under-too-much-silence/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“We were made to dominate our environment. It was not intended that we should be buffeted about by accident or chance. Our greatest enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-were-made-to-dominate-our-environment-it-was-not-intended-that-we/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [The experience of the past lives little doubt that every economic system must sooner or later rely upon some form of the profit motive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-experience-of-the-past-lives-little-doubt-that-every-economic/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“Antislavery idealists might prefer to live in some better world, which like all such places was too good to be true. The American nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/antislavery-idealists-might-prefer-to-live-in-some-better-world-which/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“Bravery without sword is like slavery without lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-kripal/bravery-without-sword-is-like-slavery-without-lord/) [Deepak Kripal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-kripal/) > [“In American, the history of racism is taught like this: 'There was slavery and then there was Jim Crow and then there was Martin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/in-american-the-history-of-racism-is-taught-like-this-there-was/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“Rule 3: Just because someone is offended, doesn’t mean they’re right Ending Slavery: More important than the feelings of people who like slavery”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-emberton/rule-3-just-because-someone-is-offended-doesn-t-mean-they-re-right/) [Oliver Emberton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-emberton/) > [Claims like 'Slavery is wrong' are not fully common-sensical, so they must be at least partly theoretical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/claims-like-slavery-is-wrong-are-not-fully-common-sensical-so-they/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [ The Aristocratic Institutions of England \[had\] acted much like the Slavery Institutions of America... \[in\] demoralis\[ing\] large classes outside their own special boundaries... \[in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bright/the-aristocratic-institutions-of-england-had-acted-much-like-the/) [John Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bright/) > [I could never see myself doing the 9-to-5 thing; it just seemed like slavery to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-part/i-could-never-see-myself-doing-the-9-to-5-thing-it-just-seemed-like/) [John Part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-part/) ## More by Edward Snowden > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obama-became-president-it-was-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We've learned that we've allowed technological capabilities to dictate policies and practices, rather than ensuring that our laws and values guide our technological capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-ve-learned-that-we-ve-allowed-technological-capabilities-to/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [It's much easier, I think, to protect communications while they're in transit at least, than it is to enforce legislation in every country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-easier-i-think-to-protect-communications-while-they-re-in/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-care-more-about-the-country-than-what-happens-to-me-but-we-can-t/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) [Explore all 478 Edward Snowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More Abolition quotes > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Anarchism is a definite intellectual current in the life of our times, whose adherents advocate the abolition of economic monopolies and of all political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/anarchism-is-a-definite-intellectual-current-in-the-life-of-our-times/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Anarchism as a political philosophy seeks to dissolve all forms of authority and power, and if possible, wishes their complete abolition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/anarchism-as-a-political-philosophy-seeks-to-dissolve-all-forms-of/) [Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/) > [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/) [William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/) > [It seems like cloud cuckoo land. If anyone is suggesting that I would go to Parliament and suggest the abolition of the Pound Sterling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-seems-like-cloud-cuckoo-land-if-anyone-is-suggesting-that-i-would/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [We invite people working for peace to span generations and national boundaries, and gather together to communicate. Let us firmly join hands and foster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iccho-itoh/we-invite-people-working-for-peace-to-span-generations-and-national/) [Iccho Itoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iccho-itoh/) > [Insofar as we may at all claim that slavery has been abolished today, we owe its abolition to the practical consequences of science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/insofar-as-we-may-at-all-claim-that-slavery-has-been-abolished-today/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ You have not been mistaken in supposing my views and feeling to be in favor of the abolition of war. Of my dispos\[i\]tion to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/you-have-not-been-mistaken-in-supposing-my-views-and-feeling-to-be-in/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/on-this-international-day-for-the-abolition-of-slavery-let-us/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Capitalism as a social order and as a creed is the expression of the belief in economic progress as leading toward the freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/capitalism-as-a-social-order-and-as-a-creed-is-the-expression-of-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“What is, so to speak, the object of abolition? Not so much the abolition of prisons but the abolition of a society that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-moten-and-stefano-harney/what-is-so-to-speak-the-object-of-abolition-not-so-much-the-abolition/) [Fred Moten and Stefano Harney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-moten-and-stefano-harney/) > [I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-can-only-say-that-there-is-not-a-man-living-who-wishes-more/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [As a long-termist, I acknowledge there are more pressing causes than the abolition of private property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/as-a-long-termist-i-acknowledge-there-are-more-pressing-causes-than/) [Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [I am for socialism, disarmament, and, ultimately, for abolishing the state itself... I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-nash-baldwin/i-am-for-socialism-disarmament-and-ultimately-for-abolishing-the/) [Roger Nash Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-nash-baldwin/) [Browse all 229 Abolition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you think about the abolition of slavery for example, for the ruling class with the rich white people owning plantations and states, and things like that, slavery was to their benefit. To oppose it didn't make any sense at all on a rational basis. 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