Government service Quote by Leo Tolstoy
““Suppose a problem in psychology was set: What can be done to persuade the men of our time — Christians, humanitarians or, simply, kindhearted people — into committing the most abominable crimes with no feeling of guilt? There could be only one way: to do precisely what is being done now, namely, to make them governors, inspectors, officers, policemen, and so forth; which means, first, that they must be convinced of the existence of a kind of organization called ‘government service,’ allowing men to be treated like inanimate objects and banning thereby all human brotherly relations with them; and secondly, that the people entering this ‘government service’ must be so unified that the responsibility for their dealings with men would never fall on any one of them individually.””
About This Quote
Source Book: War and Peace, 1869
The quote argues that bureaucratic structures dehumanize individuals, enabling them to commit atrocities without guilt.
In simple terms: Government roles can strip humanity, allowing cruelty.
Key Takeaway
Beware of dehumanizing systems.
Themes
power
bureaucracy
morality
humanity
responsibility
Mood
cynical
reflective
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- military command
- law enforcement
- corporate management
Key Concepts
dehumanization
collective guilt
authority
obedience
Questions to Reflect On
- How does bureaucracy affect personal conscience?
- Can individuals retain empathy within hierarchical structures?
A Different Perspective
Such systems can also foster blind obedience and loss of personal accountability.
