--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hegel did not deceive himself about the…" description: "\"“Hegel did not deceive himself about the revolutionary character of his dialectic, and was even afraid that his Philosophy of Right would be banned. No..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/franz-mehring-81596_hegel_hegel-did-not-deceive-himself-about-the_995104.jpg" --- # Hegel did not deceive himself about the revolutionary… ![“Hegel did not deceive himself about the revolutionary character of his dialectic, and was even afraid that his Philosophy of Right would be banned. Nor was the Prussian state entirely easy in its mind for all its idealization. Proudly leaning on its police truncheon, it did not want to have its…” quote by Franz Mehring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/franz-mehring-81596_hegel_hegel-did-not-deceive-himself-about-the_995104.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/franz-mehring-81596_hegel_hegel-did-not-deceive-himself-about-the_995104.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cf/franz-mehring-81596_hegel_hegel-did-not-deceive-himself-about-the_995104.jpg) > ““Hegel did not deceive himself about the revolutionary character of his dialectic, and was even afraid that his Philosophy of Right would be banned. Nor was the Prussian state entirely easy in its mind for all its idealization. Proudly leaning on its police truncheon, it did not want to have its reality justified merely by its reason. Even the dull-witted King saw the serpent lurking beneath the rose: when a distant rumor of his state philosopher's teachings reached him he asked suspiciously: but what if I don't dot the I's or cross the T's? The Prussian bureaucracy meanwhile was grateful for the laurel wreath that had been so generously plaited for it, especially since the strict Hegelians clarified their master's obscure words for the understanding of the common subjects, and one of them wrote a history of Prussian law and the Prussian state, where the Prussian state was proved to be a gigantic harp strung in God's garden to lead the universal anthem. Despite its sinister secrets Hegel's philosophy was declared to be the Prussian state philosophy, surely one of the wittiest ironies of world history. Hegel had brought together the rich culture of German Idealism in one mighty system, he had led all the springs and streams of our classical age into one bed, where they now froze in the icy air of reaction. but the rash fools who imagined they were safely hidden behind this mass of ice, who presumptuously rejoiced who bold attackers fell from its steep and slippery slopes, little suspected that with the storms of spring the frozen waters would melt and engulf them. Hegel himself experienced the first breath of these storms. He rejected the July revolution of 1830, he railed at the first draft of the English Reform Bill as a stab in the 'noble vitals' of the British Constitution. Thereupon his audience left him in hordes and turned to his pupil Eduard Gans, who lectured on his master's Philosophy of Right but emphasized its revolutionary side and polemicized sharply against the Historical School of Law. At the time it was said in Berlin that the great thinker died from this painful experience, and not of the cholera.”” [Franz Mehring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-mehring/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hegel’s philosophy was co‑opted by the Prussian state, presenting a paradox of idealism serving authoritarian power, and his revolutionary ideas were both suppressed and celebrated. **In simple terms:** Hegel’s ideas were used by a state that feared them, creating a contradictory legacy. Key Takeaway Recognize how ideas can be twisted by power. Themes philosophy politics ideology history ironies Mood critical reflective Type analytical historical When to use this quote - academic analysis - political commentary - historical research - education - public discourse Key Concepts statecraft dialectic revolution authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - How does power reshape intellectual movements? - Can ideas retain integrity under authoritarian use? A Different Perspective The state’s manipulation can dilute the original intent of philosophical work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegel/) [Hegel Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegel-did-2063377/) [Hegel Experienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegel-experienced-2063375/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-hegel-2063374/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Secrets Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets-hegel-2063376/) [World history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-history/) ## Related quotes > [“but on Hegel, his "idealist" predecessor who was the first philosopher to answer Kant's challenge of writing a Universal History. 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As Hegel here puts self-consciousness in the place of man, the most varied human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-mystery-of-this-courage-of-bauer-s-is-hegel-s-phenomenology-as/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“For Hegel, reality is the absolute, which exists in a dialectical evolution that is logical and rational in character. According to his famous statement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juli-n-mar-as/for-hegel-reality-is-the-absolute-which-exists-in-a-dialectical/) [Julián Marías](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juli-n-mar-as/) > [Contemporary philosophy illustrates Hegel's dictum that philosophy is its own time apprehended in thought, for in our age philosophy yields to the objectifying technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-phillip-verene/contemporary-philosophy-illustrates-hegel-s-dictum-that-philosophy-is/) [Donald Phillip Verene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-phillip-verene/) > [“Yet mere membership as a matter of duty is not enough for Hegel, given the grandeur of the state’s divine historical purpose: “One must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/yet-mere-membership-as-a-matter-of-duty-is-not-enough-for-hegel-given/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Should you ever intend to dull the wits of a young man and to incapacitate his brains for any kind of thought whatever, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/should-you-ever-intend-to-dull-the-wits-of-a-young-man-and-to/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [“My application's not bought,' I am telling them, calling into the darkness of the red cave that opens out before closed eyes. 'I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/my-application-s-not-bought-i-am-telling-them-calling-into-the/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [At the present moment, the security of coherent philosophy, which existed from Parmenides to Hegel, is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/at-the-present-moment-the-security-of-coherent-philosophy-which/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [People are mostly sane enough, of course, in the affairs of common life: the getting of food, shelter, and so on. But the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stove/people-are-mostly-sane-enough-of-course-in-the-affairs-of-common-life/) [David Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stove/) > [That Hegel's theory is derivative from Fichte's does not prevent it from being strikingly original and of independent value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/that-hegel-s-theory-is-derivative-from-fichte-s-does-not-prevent-it/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“For Hegel , by contrast, liberal society is a reciprocal and equal agreement among citizens to mutually recognize each other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-fukuyama/for-hegel-by-contrast-liberal-society-is-a-reciprocal-and-equal/) [Francis Fukuyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-fukuyama/) ## More by Franz Mehring > [An extraordinarily precocious mind, a political free thinker, who towered above his political contemporaries in Germany.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-mehring/an-extraordinarily-precocious-mind-a-political-free-thinker-who/) [Franz Mehring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-mehring/) > [“As the biggest property owners of the middle ages the Church underwent the same process as the rest of the landed proprietors. In order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-mehring/as-the-biggest-property-owners-of-the-middle-ages-the-church/) [Franz Mehring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-mehring/) [Explore all 3 Franz Mehring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-mehring/) ## More Hegel quotes > [“For Hegel , by contrast, liberal society is a reciprocal and equal agreement among citizens to mutually recognize each other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-fukuyama/for-hegel-by-contrast-liberal-society-is-a-reciprocal-and-equal/) [Francis Fukuyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-fukuyama/) > [That Hegel's theory is derivative from Fichte's does not prevent it from being strikingly original and of independent value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/that-hegel-s-theory-is-derivative-from-fichte-s-does-not-prevent-it/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [People are mostly sane enough, of course, in the affairs of common life: the getting of food, shelter, and so on. But the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stove/people-are-mostly-sane-enough-of-course-in-the-affairs-of-common-life/) [David Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stove/) > [At the present moment, the security of coherent philosophy, which existed from Parmenides to Hegel, is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/at-the-present-moment-the-security-of-coherent-philosophy-which/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“My application's not bought,' I am telling them, calling into the darkness of the red cave that opens out before closed eyes. 'I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/my-application-s-not-bought-i-am-telling-them-calling-into-the/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“Should you ever intend to dull the wits of a young man and to incapacitate his brains for any kind of thought whatever, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/should-you-ever-intend-to-dull-the-wits-of-a-young-man-and-to/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [“Yet mere membership as a matter of duty is not enough for Hegel, given the grandeur of the state’s divine historical purpose: “One must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/yet-mere-membership-as-a-matter-of-duty-is-not-enough-for-hegel-given/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [Contemporary philosophy illustrates Hegel's dictum that philosophy is its own time apprehended in thought, for in our age philosophy yields to the objectifying technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-phillip-verene/contemporary-philosophy-illustrates-hegel-s-dictum-that-philosophy-is/) [Donald Phillip Verene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-phillip-verene/) > [“For Hegel, reality is the absolute, which exists in a dialectical evolution that is logical and rational in character. 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As Hegel here puts self-consciousness in the place of man, the most varied human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-mystery-of-this-courage-of-bauer-s-is-hegel-s-phenomenology-as/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“The fascist appeal to ‘human nature’ is to our passions, to our collectivist mystical needs, to ‘man the unknown’. Adopting Hegel’s words just quoted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/the-fascist-appeal-to-human-nature-is-to-our-passions-to-our/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [Fichte is a necessary step to both Hegel and Marx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/fichte-is-a-necessary-step-to-both-hegel-and-marx/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“Once the world of ideas has been transformed, reality cannot hold out for long. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/once-the-world-of-ideas-has-been-transformed-reality-cannot-hold-out/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) [Browse all 142 Hegel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hegel did not deceive himself about the revolutionary character of his dialectic, and was even afraid that his Philosophy of Right would be banned. Nor was the Prussian state entirely easy in its mind for all its idealization. Proudly leaning on its police truncheon, it did not want to have its reality justified merely by its reason. Even the dull-witted King saw the serpent lurking beneath the rose: when a distant rumor of his state philosopher's teachings reached him he asked suspiciously: but what if I don't dot the I's or cross the T's? The Prussian bureaucracy meanwhile was grateful for the laurel wreath that had been so generously plaited for it, especially since the strict Hegelians clarified their master's obscure words for the understanding of the common subjects, and one of them wrote a history of Prussian law and the Prussian state, where the Prussian state was proved to be a gigantic harp strung in God's garden to lead the universal anthem. Despite its sinister secrets Hegel's philosophy was declared to be the Prussian state philosophy, surely one of the wittiest ironies of world history. Hegel had brought together the rich culture of German Idealism in one mighty system, he had led all the springs and streams of our classical age into one bed, where they now froze in the icy air of reaction. but the rash fools who imagined they were safely hidden behind this mass of ice, who presumptuously rejoiced who bold attackers fell from its steep and slippery slopes, little suspected that with the storms of spring the frozen waters would melt and engulf them. Hegel himself experienced the first breath of these storms. He rejected the July revolution of 1830, he railed at the first draft of the English Reform Bill as a stab in the 'noble vitals' of the British Constitution. Thereupon his audience left him in hordes and turned to his pupil Eduard Gans, who lectured on his master's Philosophy of Right but emphasized its revolutionary side and polemicized sharply against the Historical School of Law. 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