--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every man having been born free and…" description: "\"Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_born_every-man-having-been-born-free-and-mast_2522818.jpg" --- # Every man having been born free and master of himself, no… ![“Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man.” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_born_every-man-having-been-born-free-and-mast_2522818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_born_every-man-having-been-born-free-and-mast_2522818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6aa/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_born_every-man-having-been-born-free-and-mast_2522818.jpg) > “Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man.” [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. Freedom is inherent; any authority over a person must be granted by that person, otherwise it is illegitimate. **In simple terms:** Freedom is innate; consent is required for authority. Key Takeaway Demand consent before imposing control. Themes freedom consent human rights Mood reflective serious Type philosophical political ethical When to use this quote - government policy - parental authority - employment contracts - education systems Key Concepts social contract natural rights autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What does consent look like in your daily interactions? - How do societies balance individual freedom with collective safety? A Different Perspective Authority without consent can be justified by tradition or security concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assert Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assert-son-1268369/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-free/) [Born Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-slave-991533/) [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pretext](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretext/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave Assert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-assert-1268370/) [Slave Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-born-1268368/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Son Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-slave-967563/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) ## Related quotes > [Not only was I not born to be a slave; I was not born to hope to become the equal of the slave master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/not-only-was-i-not-born-to-be-a-slave-i-was-not-born-to-hope-to-2/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [“Not only was I not born to be a slave: I was not born to hope to become the equal of the slave-master. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/not-only-was-i-not-born-to-be-a-slave-i-was-not-born-to-hope-to/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The country therefore was not “born free” but born slave and free, servant and master, tenant and landlord, poor and rich.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-country-therefore-was-not-born-free-but-born-slave-and-free/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Dr. Sheppard has not only stood before kings, but he has also stood against them. In pursuit of his mission of serving his race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/dr-sheppard-has-not-only-stood-before-kings-but-he-has-also-stood/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“the way a rich man was born was, is exactly the way a slave was born”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariam/the-way-a-rich-man-was-born-was-is-exactly-the-way-a-slave-was-born/) [Mariam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariam/) > [There are three ways in which a man becomes a slave. He may be born into slavery, or forced into it, or he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-are-three-ways-in-which-a-man-becomes-a-slave-he-may-be-born/) [Fulton J. 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One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/man-is-born-free-and-everywhere-he-is-in-chains-one-thinks-himself/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/man-is-born-free-and-everywhere-he-is-in-chains/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [ “I know that \[civilized men\] do nothing but boast incessantly of the peace and repose they enjoy in their chains… But when I see… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-know-that-civilized-men-do-nothing-but-boast-incessantly-of-the/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains. 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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 Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. 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