““The more I study the works of men in their institutions, the more clearly I see that, in their efforts after independence, they become slaves, and that their very freedom is wasted in vain attempts to assure its continuance. That they may not be carried away by the flood of things, they form all sorts of attachments; then as soon as they wish to move forward they are surprised to find that everything drags them back. It seems to me that to set oneself free we need do nothing, we need only continue to desire freedom.””
![“I know that [civilized men] do nothing but boast incessantly of the peace and repose they enjoy in their chains… But when I see [barbarous man] sacrifice pleasures, repose, wealth, power, and life itself for the preservation of this sole good which is so disdained by those who have lost it; when I…” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b98/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_born-free_i-know-that-civilized-men-do-nothing-but_1084258.jpg)
