--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a totalitarian regime inside…" description: "\"There is a totalitarian regime inside every one of us. We are ruled by a ruthless politburo which sets our norms and drives us from one five-year plan ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/eric-hoffer-343_autonomous_there-is-a-totalitarian-regime-inside-ev_2986920.jpg" --- # There is a totalitarian regime inside every one of us. We… ![“There is a totalitarian regime inside every one of us. We are ruled by a ruthless politburo which sets our norms and drives us from one five-year plan to another. The autonomous individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/eric-hoffer-343_autonomous_there-is-a-totalitarian-regime-inside-ev_2986920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/eric-hoffer-343_autonomous_there-is-a-totalitarian-regime-inside-ev_2986920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a64/eric-hoffer-343_autonomous_there-is-a-totalitarian-regime-inside-ev_2986920.jpg) > “There is a totalitarian regime inside every one of us. We are ruled by a ruthless politburo which sets our norms and drives us from one five-year plan to another. The autonomous individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself.” [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Internal authoritarian impulses dominate us, limiting true autonomy. **In simple terms:** We are ruled by inner strict standards. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge internal oppression. Themes psychology freedom control Mood introspective critical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal development - political awareness - therapy Key Concepts self‑governance inner critic Questions to Reflect On - What inner “politburo” governs your life? - How can you reclaim personal autonomy? A Different Perspective Self‑imposed rules can imprison us. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autonomous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomous/) [Bondage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Five year plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-year-plans/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Regime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regime/) [Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian/) [Totalitarian regimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-regimes/) [Totalitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarianism/) ## Related quotes > [The autonomous individual, striving to realize himself and prove his worth, has created all that is great in literature, art, music, science and technology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-autonomous-individual-striving-to-realize-himself-and-prove-his/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Dominion is a spy novel, a love story, and also I hope gives some sense of the difficulties faced by dissidents under any totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/dominion-is-a-spy-novel-a-love-story-and-also-i-hope-gives-some-sense/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [When totalitarian regimes are established, they at least have the illusion of the single-minded purpose. But once they establish the stature that's necessary for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/when-totalitarian-regimes-are-established-they-at-least-have-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It became clear to the whole world that a totalitarian regime could neither accuse nor transform itself: suicide was not in its nature, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alliluyeva/it-became-clear-to-the-whole-world-that-a-totalitarian-regime-could/) [Svetlana Alliluyeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alliluyeva/) > [The great enemy of any totalitarian regime is normalization and trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-great-enemy-of-any-totalitarian-regime-is-normalization-and-trade/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [Fifty-one percent of a nation can establish a totalitarian regime, suppress minorities and still remain democratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-von-kuehnelt-leddihn/fifty-one-percent-of-a-nation-can-establish-a-totalitarian-regime/) [Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-von-kuehnelt-leddihn/) > [ I am no apologist for Fidel's \[Castro\] regime. It is, after all, a totalitarian regime. So I would like to see that change. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/i-am-no-apologist-for-fidel-s-castro-regime-it-is-after-all-a/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [Puzzlement and doubt are, however, already crimes in the totalitarian state. The mind that is open for questions is open for dissent. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/puzzlement-and-doubt-are-however-already-crimes-in-the-totalitarian/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [“The totalitarian movements aim at and succeed in organizing masses—not classes, like the old interest parties of the Continental nation-states; citizens with opinions about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-totalitarian-movements-aim-at-and-succeed-in-organizing-masses/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [ “Moreover, how effective can it possibly be for an individual to assert his autonomy \[jishusei\] when encountering a reality in which even his personal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-kobo/moreover-how-effective-can-it-possibly-be-for-an-individual-to-assert/) [Abe Kobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-kobo/) > [It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one's neighbor. ... Some of the worst tyrannies of our day genuinely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-easier-to-love-humanity-as-a-whole-than-to-love-one-s-neighbor-3/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“The organization of the entire texture of life according to an ideology can be fully carried out only under a totalitarian regime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-organization-of-the-entire-texture-of-life-according-to-an/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“That concentration camps were ultimately provided for the same groups in all countries, even though there were considerable differences in the treatment of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/that-concentration-camps-were-ultimately-provided-for-the-same-groups/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [In the main the Academy helped to frame only laws of an economic or social nature, since owing to the development of the totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-frank/in-the-main-the-academy-helped-to-frame-only-laws-of-an-economic-or/) [Hans Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-frank/) > [Were we ever to find ourselves living under a totalitarian regime, place no faith in the mercy of your fellow citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/were-we-ever-to-find-ourselves-living-under-a-totalitarian-regime/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) ## More by Eric Hoffer > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/we-lie-the-loudest-when-we-lie-to-ourselves/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/our-originality-shows-itself-most-strikingly-not-in-what-we-wholly/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The creative mind is the playful mind. 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Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A nation without dregs and malcontents, is orderly, decent, peaceful and pleasant, but perhaps without the seed of things to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-nation-without-dregs-and-malcontents-is-orderly-decent-peaceful-and/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/compassion-alone-stands-apart-from-the-continuous-traffic-between/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-are-many-who-find-a-good-alibi-far-more-attractive-than-an/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-war-is-not-won-if-the-defeated-enemy-has-not-been-turned-into-a/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Man is the only creature that strives to surpass himself, and yearns for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/man-is-the-only-creature-that-strives-to-surpass-himself-and-yearns/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [This food-and-shelter theory concerning man's efforts is without insight. 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Something about discovering freshly painted walls always fills me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/melbourne-where-i-grew-up-is-one-of-the-street-art-capitals-of-the/) [Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/) > [“Last Wednesday Vince Cable, the UK business secretary, invited British cities to express their interest in being used as testing grounds for driverless cars.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/last-wednesday-vince-cable-the-uk-business-secretary-invited-british/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Before a leader can be accepted, let alone succeed, autonomous professionals must agree to be influenced by that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maister/before-a-leader-can-be-accepted-let-alone-succeed-autonomous/) [David Maister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maister/) > [The challenge in scoring a sequel is, how do you not get bored? 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We know crowds can raise billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/my-personal-fascination-with-the-power-of-the-crowd-has-been-growing/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [The autonomous car is definitely coming, and when that stage comes, this ride-share business becomes even more important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/the-autonomous-car-is-definitely-coming-and-when-that-stage-comes/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [A song has a life of its own. It's an autonomous thing, separate from your own experience, almost. 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Havighurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-havighurst/) [Browse all 187 Autonomous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a totalitarian regime inside every one of us. We are ruled by a ruthless politburo which sets our norms and drives us from one five-year plan to another. 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