Blind obedience Quote by Iain Banks
“One of the advantages of having laws is the pleasure one may take in breaking them. We here are not children, Mr. Gurgeh." Hamin waved the pipestem round the tables of people. "Rules and laws exist only because we take pleasure in doing what they forbid, but as long as most of the people obey such proscriptions most of the time, they have done their job; blind obedience would imply we are - ha!" - Hamin chuckled and pointed at the drone with the pipe - "no more than robots!”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, 1988
Rules give structure; breaking them provides excitement, but most obey to keep order.
In simple terms: Breaking rules feels thrilling, yet most follow them for stability.
Key Takeaway
Enjoy the tension between order and rebellion.
Themes
authority
rebellion
order
excitement
Mood
provocative
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- gaming
- political satire
- personal freedom
Key Concepts
social contract
psychology of obedience
Questions to Reflect On
- When do you choose to follow versus break a rule?
- What makes breaking rules enjoyable?
A Different Perspective
Blind obedience eliminates humanity; balance needed.
![“In 1914... [German] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination, a poetic truth, an ethical, not a social, construct... blind obedience was the true value... the stronger a person is... the more…” quote by The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a2/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eks_blind-obedience_in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and_16799.jpg)
