---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Finally, when the State close to ruin…"
description: "\"“Finally, when the State close to ruin subsists only on an illusory and vain form, when the social bond is broken in all hearts, when the barest intere..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_decrees_finally-when-the-state-close-to-ruin-sub_1172571.jpg"
---

#  Finally, when the State close to ruin subsists only on an…

![“Finally, when the State close to ruin subsists only on an illusory and vain form, when the social bond is broken in all hearts, when the barest interest brazenly assumes the sacred name of public good; then the general will grows mute, everyone, prompted by secret motives, no more states opinions…” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_decrees_finally-when-the-state-close-to-ruin-sub_1172571.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_decrees_finally-when-the-state-close-to-ruin-sub_1172571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d7/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_decrees_finally-when-the-state-close-to-ruin-sub_1172571.jpg)

> ““Finally, when the State close to ruin subsists only on an illusory and vain form, when the social bond is broken in all hearts, when the barest interest brazenly assumes the sacred name of public good; then the general will grows mute, everyone, prompted by secret motives, no more states opinions as a Citizen than if the State had never existed, and iniquitous decrees with no other goal than particular interest are falsely passed under the name of Laws.””

[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.

When the state becomes a façade and law serves narrow interests, citizens lose voice and the public good becomes a myth.

**In simple terms:** Corrupt state silences citizens and misuses law.

Key Takeaway

Demand transparent, accountable governance.

Themes

politics citizenship law corruption

Mood

cautious critical

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- voting
- community organizing
- legal reform
- public debate

Key Concepts

social contract public good illusion of legitimacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms truly empower citizens?
- How can we detect hidden motives in law?

A Different Perspective

Power can still be consolidated despite reforms.

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[Decrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrees-330951/) [Decrees Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrees-goal-3406193/) [Illusory Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusory-vain-3406194/) [Iniquitous Decrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iniquitous-decrees-3406192/) [Motives States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motives-states-3406191/)

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> [Who is a good man? He who keeps the decrees of the fathers, and both human and divine laws. \[Lat., Vir bonus est quis?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-is-a-good-man-he-who-keeps-the-decrees-of-the-fathers-and-both/)

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> [“The departments are shit; decrees are shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-ilyich-lenin/the-departments-are-shit-decrees-are-shit/)

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## 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/)

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