--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If man--if each one of us--abdicates his…" description: "\"If man--if each one of us--abdicates his responsibilities with regard to values; if each one of us limits himself to leading a trivial existence in a t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/jacques-ellul-4407_adaptation_if-man-if-each-one-of-us-abdicates-his-r_3098685.jpg" --- # If man--if each one of us--abdicates his responsibilities… ![“If man--if each one of us--abdicates his responsibilities with regard to values; if each one of us limits himself to leading a trivial existence in a technological civilization, with greater adaptation and increasing success as his sole objectives; if we do not even consider the possibility of…” quote by Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/jacques-ellul-4407_adaptation_if-man-if-each-one-of-us-abdicates-his-r_3098685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/jacques-ellul-4407_adaptation_if-man-if-each-one-of-us-abdicates-his-r_3098685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/jacques-ellul-4407_adaptation_if-man-if-each-one-of-us-abdicates-his-r_3098685.jpg) > “If man--if each one of us--abdicates his responsibilities with regard to values; if each one of us limits himself to leading a trivial existence in a technological civilization, with greater adaptation and increasing success as his sole objectives; if we do not even consider the possibility of making a stand against these determinants, then everything will happen as I have described it, and the determinates will be transformed into inevitabilities.” [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage warns that if individuals abandon responsibility and settle for trivial, technologically driven lives, they will become passive agents of deterministic outcomes. **In simple terms:** Abandoning responsibility leads to deterministic fate. Key Takeaway Embrace responsibility to shape your future. Themes responsibility technology determinism meaning existential philosophy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - political activism - ethical decision‑making - daily habits Key Concepts ethical agency societal pressure technological determinism Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel technology limits or expands your agency? - What responsibilities can you reclaim today? A Different Perspective Technological progress can also empower responsible action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Inevitability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitability/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [There are no inevitabilities in history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/there-are-no-inevitabilities-in-history/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“The imposition of the inevitability--that the everyday must unfold in particular ways and that all bodies should behave similarly--creates parity among actors, in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-j-wolf-meyer/the-imposition-of-the-inevitability-that-the-everyday-must-unfold-in/) Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer > [All revolutions are the sheerest fantasy until they happen; then they become historical inevitabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/all-revolutions-are-the-sheerest-fantasy-until-they-happen-then-they/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“It ended by my almost believing (perhaps actually believing) that this was perhaps my normal condition. But at first, in the beginning, what agonies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/it-ended-by-my-almost-believing-perhaps-actually-believing-that-this/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Genes are not about inevitabilities; they're about potentials and vulnerabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/genes-are-not-about-inevitabilities-they-re-about-potentials-and/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [“I think about the Old Ones, that they have a past but no history. 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