--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity…" description: "\"“Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific relation to truth through frankness, a certain relationship to his own life th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg" --- # Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker… ![“Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific relation to truth through frankness, a certain relationship to his own life through danger, a certain type of relation to himself or other people through criticism (self-criticism or criticism of other people), and a specific…” quote by Foucault, Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg) > ““Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific relation to truth through frankness, a certain relationship to his own life through danger, a certain type of relation to himself or other people through criticism (self-criticism or criticism of other people), and a specific relation to moral law through freedom and duty. More precisely, parrhesia is a verbal activity in which a speaker expresses his personal relationship to truth, and risks his life because he recognizes truth-telling as a duty to improve or help other people (as well as himself). In parrhesia, the speaker uses his freedom and chooses frankness instead of persuasion, truth instead of falsehood or silence, the risk of death instead of life and security, criticism instead of flattery, and moral duty instead of self-interest and moral apathy”” [Foucault, Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foucault-michel-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parrhesia is speaking truth boldly, accepting risk, and acting from moral duty rather than self‑interest. **In simple terms:** Bold truth‑telling risks safety for moral duty. Key Takeaway Practice courageous honesty. Themes ethics political theory courage truth Mood provocative intense Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political activism - academic discourse - public speaking - whistleblowing Key Concepts verbal risk moral duty self‑criticism Questions to Reflect On - What costs are you willing to bear for truth? - How does power affect the ability to speak freely? A Different Perspective Risk may lead to personal harm or marginalization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moral law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) [Parrhesia Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrhesia-kind-2135508/) [Parrhesia Speaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrhesia-speaker-2135505/) [Parrhesia Verbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parrhesia-verbal-2135506/) [People Parrhesia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-parrhesia-2135507/) [Personal relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-relationship/) [Precisely Parrhesia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precisely-parrhesia-2135509/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) [Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/) > [“5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/5-6-the-moral-law-causes-the-people-to-be-in-complete-accord-with/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-grudem/sin-is-any-failure-to-conform-to-the-moral-law-of-god-in-act-attitude/) [Wayne Grudem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-grudem/) > [Kant, as we all know, compared moral law to the starry heavens, and found them both sublime. On the naturalistic hypothesis we should rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/kant-as-we-all-know-compared-moral-law-to-the-starry-heavens-and/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [Evolution may explain some features of the moral law, but it can't explain why it should have any real significance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/evolution-may-explain-some-features-of-the-moral-law-but-it-can-t/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [ The true fountains of evidence \[are\] the head and heart of every rational and honest man. It is there nature has written her moral… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-true-fountains-of-evidence-are-the-head-and-heart-of-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more seriously reflection concentrates upon them:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/two-things-fill-the-mind-with-ever-new-and-increasing-wonder-and-awe/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The dogma of the mystic offices of Christ being dropped, and he standing on his genius as a moral teacher, 'tis impossible to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-dogma-of-the-mystic-offices-of-christ-being-dropped-and-he/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“not because the moral law enjoins unselfishness, but because, given the society in which they live, it is the way in which their impulses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/not-because-the-moral-law-enjoins-unselfishness-but-because-given-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“But each one of us is guilty insofar as he remained inactive. The guilt of passivity is different. Impotence excuses; no moral law demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/but-each-one-of-us-is-guilty-insofar-as-he-remained-inactive-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/moral-law-is-an-invention-of-mankind-for-the-disenfranchisement-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/) [Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“In his own way each man must struggle, lest the moral law become a far-off abstraction utterly separated from his active life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/in-his-own-way-each-man-must-struggle-lest-the-moral-law-become-a-far/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [Music is moral law. It is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, true and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/music-is-moral-law-it-is-the-essence-of-order-and-leads-to-all-that/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [My thesis is that the moral law is articulated with relation to the real as such, to the real insofar as it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/my-thesis-is-that-the-moral-law-is-articulated-with-relation-to-the/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) ## More by Foucault, Michel > [“In a sense, I am a moralist, insofar as I believe that one of the tasks, one of the meanings of human existence -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foucault-michel-2/in-a-sense-i-am-a-moralist-insofar-as-i-believe-that-one-of-the-tasks/) [Foucault, Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foucault-michel-2/) [Explore all 2 Foucault, Michel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foucault-michel-2/) ## More Moral law quotes > [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/) [Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/) > [Music is moral law. It is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, true and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/music-is-moral-law-it-is-the-essence-of-order-and-leads-to-all-that/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“In his own way each man must struggle, lest the moral law become a far-off abstraction utterly separated from his active life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/in-his-own-way-each-man-must-struggle-lest-the-moral-law-become-a-far/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/) [Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/moral-law-is-an-invention-of-mankind-for-the-disenfranchisement-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“But each one of us is guilty insofar as he remained inactive. The guilt of passivity is different. Impotence excuses; no moral law demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/but-each-one-of-us-is-guilty-insofar-as-he-remained-inactive-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“not because the moral law enjoins unselfishness, but because, given the society in which they live, it is the way in which their impulses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/not-because-the-moral-law-enjoins-unselfishness-but-because-given-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The dogma of the mystic offices of Christ being dropped, and he standing on his genius as a moral teacher, 'tis impossible to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-dogma-of-the-mystic-offices-of-christ-being-dropped-and-he/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more seriously reflection concentrates upon them:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/two-things-fill-the-mind-with-ever-new-and-increasing-wonder-and-awe/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [ The true fountains of evidence \[are\] the head and heart of every rational and honest man. It is there nature has written her moral… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-true-fountains-of-evidence-are-the-head-and-heart-of-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Evolution may explain some features of the moral law, but it can't explain why it should have any real significance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/evolution-may-explain-some-features-of-the-moral-law-but-it-can-t/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Kant, as we all know, compared moral law to the starry heavens, and found them both sublime. On the naturalistic hypothesis we should rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/kant-as-we-all-know-compared-moral-law-to-the-starry-heavens-and/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-grudem/sin-is-any-failure-to-conform-to-the-moral-law-of-god-in-act-attitude/) [Wayne Grudem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-grudem/) > [“5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/5-6-the-moral-law-causes-the-people-to-be-in-complete-accord-with/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [My thesis is that the moral law is articulated with relation to the real as such, to the real insofar as it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/my-thesis-is-that-the-moral-law-is-articulated-with-relation-to-the/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) [Browse all 186 Moral law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific relation to truth through frankness, a certain relationship to his own life through danger, a certain type of relation to himself or other people through criticism (self-criticism or criticism of other people), and a specific relation to moral law through freedom and duty. More precisely, parrhesia is a verbal activity in which a speaker expresses his personal relationship to truth, and risks his life because he recognizes truth-telling as a duty to improve or help other people (as well as himself). In parrhesia, the speaker uses his freedom and chooses frankness instead of persuasion, truth instead of falsehood or silence, the risk of death instead of life and security, criticism instead of flattery, and moral duty instead of self-interest and moral apathy”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Foucault, Michel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foucault-michel-2/parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-where-the-speaker-has-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moral law" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foucault-michel-2/parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-where-the-speaker-has-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/foucault-michel-2-104153_moral-law_parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-w_205590.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific relation to truth through frankness…” — Foucault, Michel", "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": "Foucault, Michel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foucault-michel-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Parrhesia is a kind of verbal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foucault-michel-2/parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-where-the-speaker-has-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foucault-michel-2/parrhesia-is-a-kind-of-verbal-activity-where-the-speaker-has-a/#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 } } ] } ```