--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If force compels obedience, there is no…" description: "\"“If force compels obedience, there is no need to invoke a duty to obey, and if force ceases to compel obedience, there is no longer any obligation.”\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_obedience_if-force-compels-obedience-there-is-no-n_1076424.png" --- # If force compels obedience, there is no need to invoke a… ![“If force compels obedience, there is no need to invoke a duty to obey, and if force ceases to compel obedience, there is no longer any obligation.” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_obedience_if-force-compels-obedience-there-is-no-n_1076424.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_obedience_if-force-compels-obedience-there-is-no-n_1076424.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_obedience_if-force-compels-obedience-there-is-no-n_1076424.png) > ““If force compels obedience, there is no need to invoke a duty to obey, and if force ceases to compel obedience, there is no longer any obligation.”” [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. Authority based solely on coercion lacks moral legitimacy; obedience should stem from consent, not force. **In simple terms:** Obedience must be voluntary, not forced. Key Takeaway Seek consent, not coercion. Themes politics ethics authority obedience Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical political ethical When to use this quote - government formation - civil disobedience - workplace management - parental guidance Key Concepts social contract theory legitimacy consent Questions to Reflect On - Is obedience without consent truly moral? - How can societies maintain order without coercion? A Different Perspective If force is removed, people may still feel obligated due to habit or tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compel Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compel-obedience-2709371/) [Compels Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compels-obedience-2709372/) [Duty Obey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty-obey-320614/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Obey Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obey-force-1755524/) ## Related quotes > [You’ll come with us,” she said. “Sure,” Gavin said. “It wasn’t a request.” “Yes it was,” Gavin said. “When you don’t have power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/you-ll-come-with-us-she-said-sure-gavin-said-it-wasn-t-a-request-yes/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [When any one State in the American Union refuses obedience to the Confederation by which they have bound themselves, the rest have a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-any-one-state-in-the-american-union-refuses-obedience-to-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“You can force the people to obey; you cannot force them to understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/you-can-force-the-people-to-obey-you-cannot-force-them-to-understand/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“I mean that repeated offences, even when they secure forgiveness, drive out love. And from that I came to say that one may compel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-mean-that-repeated-offences-even-when-they-secure-forgiveness-drive/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [If you simply take the name of Christ upon you and call yourself His servant, yet do not obey Him, but follow your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-simply-take-the-name-of-christ-upon-you-and-call-yourself-his/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“Now, the error which many parents commit in the treatment of the individual at this time(adolescense) is, insisting on the same unreasoning obedience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/now-the-error-which-many-parents-commit-in-the-treatment-of-the/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [To do my duty, I must obey God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-moore/to-do-my-duty-i-must-obey-god/) [Roy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-moore/) > [A soldier's first duty is to obey, otherwise you might as well do away with soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/a-soldier-s-first-duty-is-to-obey-otherwise-you-might-as-well-do-away/) [Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/) > [My duty is to obey orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stonewall-jackson/my-duty-is-to-obey-orders/) [Stonewall Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stonewall-jackson/) > [“ i'm your enemy, meghan. never forget that. if Mab tells me to kill you in front of the entire court, it's my duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/i-m-your-enemy-meghan-never-forget-that-if-mab-tells-me-to-kill-you/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“Now it is easy to perceive that the moral part of love is a factitious sentiment, engendered by society, and cried up by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/now-it-is-easy-to-perceive-that-the-moral-part-of-love-is-a/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“God uses one whom others would have passed over without a second glance. 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Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) ## 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 Obedience quotes > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Today the meaning of the word believe has been weakened. In the eyes of most it has become a mere acknowledgment of a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/today-the-meaning-of-the-word-believe-has-been-weakened-in-the-eyes/) [John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/) > [“God uses one whom others would have passed over without a second glance. The history of obedience to the Great Commission is full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-paterson/god-uses-one-whom-others-would-have-passed-over-without-a-second/) [Ross Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-paterson/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Women who join together with each other to deny the male god who cursed their sex and to reject his demands for obedience, praise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trista-hendren/women-who-join-together-with-each-other-to-deny-the-male-god-who/) [Trista Hendren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trista-hendren/) > [Faith is the power, obedience the sacrifice, love the means, Christ the reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/faith-is-the-power-obedience-the-sacrifice-love-the-means-christ-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [ “In 1914... \[German\] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eksteins/in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and-the-individual-moment-were/) [The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eksteins/) > [Obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/obedience-is-the-psychological-mechanism-that-links-individual-action/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? 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