--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the fact that we have seen…" description: "\"Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg" --- # Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting… ![“Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom.” quote by Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg) > “Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom.” [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mass voting for a tyrant can create dependency, showing that choosing a government doesn't guarantee freedom. **In simple terms:** Voting for a tyrant can lead to dependence, not liberty. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant about power and personal freedom. Themes politics freedom democracy dependency tyranny Mood cautious analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - elections - civic education - policy making - activism - public discourse Key Concepts political theory economics social contract Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards protect freedom? - How does dependency affect political choice? A Different Perspective Democracy can be subverted by popular support of oppressive leaders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Our generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-generation/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) ## Related quotes > [“When I was ten years old, one of my friends brought a Shaleenian kangaroo-cat to school one day. I remember the way it hopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/when-i-was-ten-years-old-one-of-my-friends-brought-a-shaleenian/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [Corporations care very much about maintaining the myth that government is necessarily ineffective, except when it is spending money on the military-industrial complex, building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lerner/corporations-care-very-much-about-maintaining-the-myth-that/) [Michael Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lerner/) > [“It's every American's duty to support his government but not necessarily in the style to which it has become accustomed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-clifford-mann/it-s-every-american-s-duty-to-support-his-government-but-not/) Thomas Clifford Mann > [It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-government-must-necessarily-last/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [People do not choose a government that will bring the market within their control; instead, the market in every way conditions governments to bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/people-do-not-choose-a-government-that-will-bring-the-market-within/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [In the first part of 'Rights of Man' I have endeavoured to show...that there does not exist a right to establish hereditary government...because hereditary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/in-the-first-part-of-rights-of-man-i-have-endeavoured-to-show-that/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [If I had to choose between government and a free press, I would choose a free press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-i-had-to-choose-between-government-and-a-free-press-i-would-choose/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-i-had-to-choose-between-government-without-newspapers-and/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [... the happiness of a people is the only rational object of government, and the only object for which a people, free to choose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-wright/the-happiness-of-a-people-is-the-only-rational-object-of-government/) [Frances Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-wright/) > [Most countries choose to have government run the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/most-countries-choose-to-have-government-run-the-economy/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Government, we are sometimes told, is just another word for things we choose to do together. Like a lot of things politicians say, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-reynolds/government-we-are-sometimes-told-is-just-another-word-for-things-we/) [Glenn Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-reynolds/) > [I think a number of the leaders are, whether you like it or not, in the hip-hop generation. And when they understand enough, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-think-a-number-of-the-leaders-are-whether-you-like-it-or-not-in-the/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I think millennials are the most woke generation because they understand that differences are just in the fabric of who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/i-think-millennials-are-the-most-woke-generation-because-they/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [Everything that one sets their mind to do is in today and out tomorrow so we have to get to the point in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/everything-that-one-sets-their-mind-to-do-is-in-today-and-out/) [MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/) > [We need to awaken the next generation to understand that we are all change-makers. The nation is not as strong as its government but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/we-need-to-awaken-the-next-generation-to-understand-that-we-are-all/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) ## More by Friedrich August von Hayek > [The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-system-of-private-property-is-the-most-important-guaranty-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [By the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/by-the-time-any-view-becomes-a-majority-view-it-is-no-longer-the-best/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Freedom can be preserved only if it is treated as a supreme principle which must not be sacrificed for particular advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/freedom-can-be-preserved-only-if-it-is-treated-as-a-supreme-principle/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Should our moral beliefs really prove to be dependent on factual assumptions shown to be incorrect, it would be hardly moral to defend them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/should-our-moral-beliefs-really-prove-to-be-dependent-on-factual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Unlike the rationalism of the French Revolution, true liberalism has no quarrel with religion, and I can only deplore the militant and essentially illiberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/unlike-the-rationalism-of-the-french-revolution-true-liberalism-has/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage… Unless we can make the philosophic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-make-the-building-of-a-free-society-once-more-an-intellectual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The central problem of management is how spontaneous interaction of people within a firm, each possessing only bits of knowledge, can bring about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-central-problem-of-management-is-how-spontaneous-interaction-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The discussions of every age are filled with the issues on which its leading schools of thought differ. But the general intellectual atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-discussions-of-every-age-are-filled-with-the-issues-on-which-its/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The Nobel Prize confers on an individual an authority which in economics no man ought to possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-nobel-prize-confers-on-an-individual-an-authority-which-in/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [ \[Socialistic\] economic planning, regulation, and intervention pave the way to totalitarianism by building a power structure that will inevitably be seized by the most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/socialistic-economic-planning-regulation-and-intervention-pave-the/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [It is rather a problem of how to secure the best use of resources known to any of the members of society, for ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-rather-a-problem-of-how-to-secure-the-best-use-of-resources/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The state itself becomes more and more identified with the interests of those who run things than with the interests of the people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-state-itself-becomes-more-and-more-identified-with-the-interests/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [We must face the fact that the preservation of individual freedom is incompatible with a full satisfaction of our views of distributive justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-face-the-fact-that-the-preservation-of-individual-freedom-is/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Human envy is certainly not one of the sources of discontent that a free society can eliminate. It is probably one of the essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/human-envy-is-certainly-not-one-of-the-sources-of-discontent-that-a/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) [Explore all 244 Friedrich August von Hayek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich August von Hayek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-millions-voting-themselves-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-millions-voting-themselves-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_freedom_perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-milli_2555134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made…” — Friedrich August von Hayek", "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": "Friedrich August von Hayek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perhaps the fact that we have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-millions-voting-themselves-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/perhaps-the-fact-that-we-have-seen-millions-voting-themselves-into/#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 } } ] } ```