--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity…" description: "\"“But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation’s unity is the elimination of any individuals or groups that disrupt t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg" --- # But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The… ![“But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation’s unity is the elimination of any individuals or groups that disrupt that unity. People who do not concur with the nation’s interests and goals, who persist in voicing their own private interests, who threaten the…” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg) > ““But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation’s unity is the elimination of any individuals or groups that disrupt that unity. People who do not concur with the nation’s interests and goals, who persist in voicing their own private interests, who threaten the nation’s unanimity are considered enemies to be banished or punished. Thus, the Rousseauian yearning for cohesion, solidarity, and oneness imposes the psychology of the purge.”” [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective identity can become oppressive, silencing dissent and justifying exclusion of outsiders. **In simple terms:** Group loyalty may crush individual voices. Key Takeaway Guard personal freedoms against forced conformity. Themes politics identity authoritarianism Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - national policy debates - activist movements - community decision making Key Concepts social contract collective psychology purge mentality Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance unity with dissent? - What safeguards protect minority voices? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clash/) [Divides Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divides-unity-4076085/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Nation Unanimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-unanimity-4076087/) [Nation Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-unity-4076086/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Purge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purge/) [Rebellious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellious/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/) [Unity Divides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity-divides-4076083/) [Unity Polarizes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity-polarizes-4076084/) ## Related quotes > [“Purge everything that's holding you back. Whatever it is you feel you are being deprived of, trust the limitation serves to bring you more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/purge-everything-that-s-holding-you-back-whatever-it-is-you-feel-you/) [Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/) > [Twitter was actually the holdout in what has turned out to be my total purge of social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-evans/twitter-was-actually-the-holdout-in-what-has-turned-out-to-be-my/) [Kelly Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-evans/) > [“What would it mean in practice to eliminate all the 'negative people' from one's life? It might be a good move to separate from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/what-would-it-mean-in-practice-to-eliminate-all-the-negative-people-2/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [“ ‘When every province of the world so teems with inhabitants that they can neither subsist where they are nor remove themselves elsewhere … the world will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/when-every-province-of-the-world-so-teems-with-inhabitants-that-they/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Anger is poison. You must purge it from your mind or else it will corrupt your better nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/anger-is-poison-you-must-purge-it-from-your-mind-or-else-it-will/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [The real purpose of the martial arts must be to purge oneself of petty ambitions and desire, to obtain control of one’s own character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-real-purpose-of-the-martial-arts-must-be-to-purge-oneself-of/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) > [Anybody who would answer the doorbell during The Purge is white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley/anybody-who-would-answer-the-doorbell-during-the-purge-is-white/) [Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley/) > [Listen, 'The Purge' actually exists in some form or another in many places around the world when you think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-grillo/listen-the-purge-actually-exists-in-some-form-or-another-in-many/) [Frank Grillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-grillo/) > [I don't think a lot of actors talk about it, but there's usually a process where you essentially purge yourself of the character that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/i-don-t-think-a-lot-of-actors-talk-about-it-but-there-s-usually-a/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [I purge compulsively. I'm constantly shedding things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-purge-compulsively-i-m-constantly-shedding-things/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Arlen Specter left the GOP because it is a lot easier to win in Pennsylvania as a Democrat than as a Republican. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-todd/arlen-specter-left-the-gop-because-it-is-a-lot-easier-to-win-in/) [Chuck Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-todd/) > [I'm sad I'm not in 'The Purge 2.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/i-m-sad-i-m-not-in-the-purge-2/) [Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/) > [“Messinath of Purge,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-c-esslemont/messinath-of-purge/) [Ian C. Esslemont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-c-esslemont/) > [“So there you have it--my sorry tale. That's how something I though I controlled ended up controlling me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-darer-littman/so-there-you-have-it-my-sorry-tale-that-s-how-something-i-though-i/) [Sarah Darer Littman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-darer-littman/) > [“But who am I if I'm not Janie the bulimic? Bulimia has become so much a part of me that I can't remember what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-darer-littman/but-who-am-i-if-i-m-not-janie-the-bulimic-bulimia-has-become-so-much/) [Sarah Darer Littman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-darer-littman/) ## More by Jean-Jacques Rousseau > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-the-course-opposite-to-custom-and-you-will-almost-always-do-well/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given to us by education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-we-do-not-have-at-our-birth-and-which-we-need-when-we-are/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/in-respect-of-riches-no-citizen-shall-ever-be-wealthy-enough-to-buy/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take from the philosopher the pleasure of being heard and his desire for knowledge ceases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-from-the-philosopher-the-pleasure-of-being-heard-and-his-desire/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Men, in general, are not this or that, they are what they are made to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/men-in-general-are-not-this-or-that-they-are-what-they-are-made-to-be/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-would-rather-be-a-man-of-paradoxes-than-a-man-of-prejudices/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“O Fabricius! What would your great soul have thought, if to your own misfortune you had been called back to life and had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/o-fabricius-what-would-your-great-soul-have-thought-if-to-your-own/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“The sword wears out its sheath, as it is sometimes said. That is my story. My passions have made me live, and my passions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-sword-wears-out-its-sheath-as-it-is-sometimes-said-that-is-my/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Whence do I get my rules of conduct? I find them in my heart. Whatever I feel to be good is good. Whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/whence-do-i-get-my-rules-of-conduct-i-find-them-in-my-heart-whatever/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“If one divided all of human science into two parts - the one common to all men, the other particular to the learned -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-one-divided-all-of-human-science-into-two-parts-the-one-common-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The social compact sets up among the citizens as equality of such kind, that they all bind themselves to observe the same conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-social-compact-sets-up-among-the-citizens-as-equality-of-such/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I do not know is a phrase which becomes us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-do-not-know-is-a-phrase-which-becomes-us/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“How could I become wicked, when I had nothing but examples of gentleness before my eyes, and none around me but the best people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/how-could-i-become-wicked-when-i-had-nothing-but-examples-of/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) [Explore all 518 Jean-Jacques Rousseau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## More Clash quotes > [The Clash is pretty much my favorite band, and their songs like 'Rock the Casbah' are political dance tracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/the-clash-is-pretty-much-my-favorite-band-and-their-songs-like-rock/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) > [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [The clashes of people and the clashes of cultures have assisted me in learning the openness you have to be a part of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/the-clashes-of-people-and-the-clashes-of-cultures-have-assisted-me-in/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [Truth emerges from the clash of adverse ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/truth-emerges-from-the-clash-of-adverse-ideas/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Youth should be radical. Youth should demand change in the world. Youth should not accept the old order if the world is to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allen-white/youth-should-be-radical-youth-should-demand-change-in-the-world-youth/) [William Allen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allen-white/) > [A rhododendron bud lavender-tipped. Soon a glory of blooms to clash with the cardinals and gladden the hummingbirds!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-beard/a-rhododendron-bud-lavender-tipped-soon-a-glory-of-blooms-to-clash/) [Dave Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-beard/) > [I didn't read this book--I inhaled it. This a terrific new take on a great old rock n roll story, a clash of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckeen/i-didn-t-read-this-book-i-inhaled-it-this-a-terrific-new-take-on-a/) [William McKeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckeen/) > [I grew up in the '90s. I listened to a lot of The Clash, Velvet Underground and Roxy Music. I wasn't into Boyzone, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-taylor-johnson/i-grew-up-in-the-90s-i-listened-to-a-lot-of-the-clash-velvet/) [Aaron Taylor-Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-taylor-johnson/) > [I'm still secretly a bit of a punk. Love The Clash and a bit of the Pistols. I guess as I've got older I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwan-rheon/i-m-still-secretly-a-bit-of-a-punk-love-the-clash-and-a-bit-of-the/) [Iwan Rheon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwan-rheon/) > [The Clash, in particular, transcends any category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/the-clash-in-particular-transcends-any-category/) [Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/) > [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [Whats great about The Avengers is that its the next step. Its not just superhero fights super-villain and superhero wins. Its about superheroes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leterrier/whats-great-about-the-avengers-is-that-its-the-next-step-its-not-just/) [Louis Leterrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leterrier/) > [So there's always been this clash between what is the public good - that which belongs to all of us in common - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/so-there-s-always-been-this-clash-between-what-is-the-public-good/) [Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/) > [Human beings have hope. Not matter how desperate things are, they convince themselves that they can change things for the better." - John Gregory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-delaney/human-beings-have-hope-not-matter-how-desperate-things-are-they/) [Joseph Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-delaney/) > [I used to go and see the Clash a fair bit. I did think they were dead cool, and very handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-used-to-go-and-see-the-clash-a-fair-bit-i-did-think-they-were-dead/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) [Browse all 396 Clash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clash/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation’s unity is the elimination of any individuals or groups that disrupt that unity. People who do not concur with the nation’s interests and goals, who persist in voicing their own private interests, who threaten the nation’s unanimity are considered enemies to be banished or punished. Thus, the Rousseauian yearning for cohesion, solidarity, and oneness imposes the psychology of the purge.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-polarizes-the-corollary-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clash" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-polarizes-the-corollary-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_clash_but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-p_2893473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation’s unity is the elimination…” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-polarizes-the-corollary-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/but-unity-divides-unity-excludes-unity-polarizes-the-corollary-of-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```