Business Quote by James Otis
![“[Slave] trade ... is the most shocking violation of the law of nature, has a direct tendency to diminish ... liberty, and makes every dealer in it a tyrant, from the director of an African company to the petty chapman [peddler]… It is a clear truth, that those who every day barter away other men's…” quote by James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6fb/james-otis-16854_business_slave-trade-is-the-most-shocking-violati_2681531.jpg)
“[Slave] trade ... is the most shocking violation of the law of nature, has a direct tendency to diminish ... liberty, and makes every dealer in it a tyrant, from the director of an African company to the petty chapman [peddler]… It is a clear truth, that those who every day barter away other men's liberty will soon care little for their own.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: The Rights of Man, 1765
The passage condemns slavery as a fundamental violation of natural law that erodes liberty for all involved.
In simple terms: Slavery destroys liberty and moral integrity.
Key Takeaway
Oppose and expose slavery.
Themes
human rights
morality
law
Mood
urgent
ethical
Type
advocacy
historical
When to use this quote
- human rights advocacy
- legal reform
- educational curricula
- public policy debates
Key Concepts
natural law
tyranny
liberty
Questions to Reflect On
- How does personal freedom relate to societal structures?
- What moral responsibilities arise from trading liberty?
A Different Perspective
May not address economic complexities of the era.
![“[The passage of the Sugar Act] set people a thinking, in six months, more than they had done in their whole lives before.” quote by James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7bf/james-otis-16854_american-revolution_the-passage-of-the-sugar-act-set-people_294963.jpg)
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
