--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one can go on being a rebel too long…" description: "\"No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.\" — Lawrence Durrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/lawrence-durrell-2169_long_no-one-can-go-on-being-a-rebel-too-long_1861543.jpg" --- # No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning… ![“No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/lawrence-durrell-2169_long_no-one-can-go-on-being-a-rebel-too-long_1861543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/lawrence-durrell-2169_long_no-one-can-go-on-being-a-rebel-too-long_1861543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/lawrence-durrell-2169_long_no-one-can-go-on-being-a-rebel-too-long_1861543.jpg) > “No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.” [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Extended rebellion leads to authoritarianism; power corrupts if unchecked. **In simple terms:** Rebellion can become tyranny over time. Key Takeaway Guard against power abuse. Themes politics power rebellion authority Mood cautious thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - leadership - policy making Key Concepts authoritarianism ethical limits social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When does dissent become domination? - How can power be kept in check? A Different Perspective Context matters; not all rebellion ends in autocracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Rebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebel/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) ## Related quotes > [I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me: that's his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-shall-be-an-autocrat-that-s-my-trade-and-the-good-lord-will-forgive/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Biden is neither an empowered king nor an autocrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/biden-is-neither-an-empowered-king-nor-an-autocrat/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Good subjects must feel guilty. The guilt begins as a feeling of failure. 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It doesnt work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wozniak/you-cant-argue-the-tasks-with-a-despotic-autocrat-it-doesnt-work/) [Mike Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wozniak/) > [Maoists want a directly elected president, but this will give birth to an autocrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushil-koirala/maoists-want-a-directly-elected-president-but-this-will-give-birth-to/) [Sushil Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushil-koirala/) > [To be a great autocrat you must be a great barbarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/to-be-a-great-autocrat-you-must-be-a-great-barbarian/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“In an absolutism, the autocrat is visible and tangible. 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Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More by Lawrence Durrell > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. 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