Business Quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
““Ancient politicians talked incessantly about morality and virtue; our politicians talk only about business and money. One will tell you that in a particular country a man is worth the sum he could be sold for in Algiers; another, by following this calculation, will find countries where a man is worth nothing, and others where he is worth less than nothing. They assess men like herds of livestock. According to them, a man has no value to the State apart from what he consumes in it. Thus one Sybarite would have been worth at least thirty Lacedaemonians. Would someone therefore hazard a guess which of these two republics, Sparta or Sybaris, was overthrown by a handful of peasants and which one made Asia tremble?””
About This Quote
Source Book: Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, 1755
Rousseau contrasts ancient moral politics with modern materialist politics, arguing that valuing people by economic worth reduces humanity to livestock and leads to social injustice.
In simple terms: People are judged by profit, not virtue, causing oppression.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and uphold intrinsic human dignity.
Themes
politics
economics
morality
inequality
human value
Mood
critical
reflective
concerned
Type
philosophical
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- labor negotiations
- human rights advocacy
- education curricula
Key Concepts
social contract
commodity fetishism
dehumanization
Questions to Reflect On
- How does reducing humans to economic units affect societal cohesion?
- What alternative measures of worth could guide governance?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook the role of cultural values and institutions that also shape political discourse.
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