--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...only those who have the will and the…" description: "\"“...only those who have the will and the power to shoot down their fellow men, are the real rulers in this, as in all other (so-called) civilized count..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png" --- # ...only those who have the will and the power to shoot… ![“...only those who have the will and the power to shoot down their fellow men, are the real rulers in this, as in all other (so-called) civilized countries; for by no others will civilized men be robbed, or enslaved.” quote by Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png) > ““...only those who have the will and the power to shoot down their fellow men, are the real rulers in this, as in all other (so-called) civilized countries; for by no others will civilized men be robbed, or enslaved.”” [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power is defined by the ability to dominate others, even in societies claiming civility. **In simple terms:** Real rulers are those who can control others. Key Takeaway Recognize how power dynamics shape societies. Themes politics power authority civilization Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - government - legal systems - civil rights movements - historical analysis Key Concepts social contract coercion liberty Questions to Reflect On - How does authority become legitimate? - When should power be challenged? 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Custom imparts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/slavery-if-it-can-be-legalized-at-all-can-be-legalized-only-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [The greatest of all crimes are the wars that are carried on by governments, to plunder, enslave, and destroy mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-greatest-of-all-crimes-are-the-wars-that-are-carried-on-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Those who deny the right of a jury to protect an individual in resisting an unjust law of the government, deny him all defence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/those-who-deny-the-right-of-a-jury-to-protect-an-individual-in/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [I was put into jail as I was going to the shoemaker's to get a shoe which was mended. When I was let out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/i-was-put-into-jail-as-i-was-going-to-the-shoemaker-s-to-get-a-shoe/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [The single despot stands out in the face of all men, and says: I am the State: My will is law: I am your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-single-despot-stands-out-in-the-face-of-all-men-and-says-i-am-the/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [The Rothschilds, and that class of money-lenders of whom they are the representatives and agents - men who never think of lending a shilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-rothschilds-and-that-class-of-money-lenders-of-whom-they-are-the/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Who are ever taxed? Individuals only. Who have property that can be taxed? Individuals only. Who can give their consent to be taxed? Individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/who-are-ever-taxed-individuals-only-who-have-property-that-can-be/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [There can be no criminal intent in resisting injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/there-can-be-no-criminal-intent-in-resisting-injustice/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Practically and commercially speaking, a dollar is not necessarily a specific thing, made of silver, or gold, or any other single metal, or substance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/practically-and-commercially-speaking-a-dollar-is-not-necessarily-a/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [If the jury have no right to judge of the justice of a law of the government, they plainly can do nothing to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/if-the-jury-have-no-right-to-judge-of-the-justice-of-a-law-of-the/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [If it be said that the consent of the strongest party in a nation, is all that is necessary to justify the establishment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/if-it-be-said-that-the-consent-of-the-strongest-party-in-a-nation-is/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [In reality there is no such thing as an inflation of prices, relatively to gold. There is such a thing as a depreciated paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/in-reality-there-is-no-such-thing-as-an-inflation-of-prices/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [And there is no difference, in principle - but only in degree - between political and chattel slavery. The former, no less than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/and-there-is-no-difference-in-principle-but-only-in-degree-between/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [The Constitution has no inherent authority or obligation. It has no authority or obligation at all, unless as a contract between man and man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-constitution-has-no-inherent-authority-or-obligation-it-has-no/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [These so-called governments are in reality only great bands of robbers and murderers, organized, disciplined, and constantly on the alert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/these-so-called-governments-are-in-reality-only-great-bands-of/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) [Explore all 135 Lysander Spooner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) ## More Civilized Men quotes > [“This is said to civilized men who are to venture into countries where sacred cows are fed, while children are left to starve -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-is-said-to-civilized-men-who-are-to-venture-into-countries-where/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“That's the way with civilized men. When they can't explain something by their half-baked science, they refuse to believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/that-s-the-way-with-civilized-men-when-they-can-t-explain-something/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [...men can only be highly civilized while other men, inevitably less civilized, are there to guard and feed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/men-can-only-be-highly-civilized-while-other-men-inevitably-less/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Modern civilization has become so complex and the lives of civilized men so interwoven with the lives of other men in other countries as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/modern-civilization-has-become-so-complex-and-the-lives-of-civilized/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Until we begin to discover the national values that for centuries have allowed us to rise above our natures and act as civilized men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/until-we-begin-to-discover-the-national-values-that-for-centuries/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [The right most valued by all civilized men is the right to be left alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/the-right-most-valued-by-all-civilized-men-is-the-right-to-be-left/) [Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/) > [Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/civilized-men-are-more-discourteous-than-savages-because-they-know/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [ “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/) > [“Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men,we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lame-deer/before-our-white-brothers-arrived-to-make-us-civilized-men-we-didn-t/) Lame Deer > [When men are brought face to face with their opponents, forced to listen and learn and mend their ideas, they cease to be children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/when-men-are-brought-face-to-face-with-their-opponents-forced-to/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“Clever and civilized men will not stay home Leave your homeland and explore foreign fields Go out! You shall find replacement for those you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-fuadi/clever-and-civilized-men-will-not-stay-home-leave-your-homeland-and/) [Ahmad Fuadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-fuadi/) > [“Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didin't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we didn't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fire-lame-deer-2/before-our-white-brothers-arrived-to-make-us-civilized-men-we-didin-t/) John (Fire) Lame Deer > [“inside. However, this ploy imparted more information than Abdel intended; it said that neither of his henchmen was armed, doubtless both recruited more for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-leston/inside-however-this-ploy-imparted-more-information-than-abdel/) Daniel Leston > [When you have civilized men fighting savages, you support the civilized men, no matter who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/when-you-have-civilized-men-fighting-savages-you-support-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [With civilized men..., it is, I think, chiefly love of excitement which makes the populace applaud when war breaks out; the emotion is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/with-civilized-men-it-is-i-think-chiefly-love-of-excitement-which/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) Browse all 27 Civilized Men quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...only those who have the will and the power to shoot down their fellow men, are the real rulers in this, as in all other (so-called) civilized countries; for by no others will civilized men be robbed, or enslaved.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lysander Spooner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-power-to-shoot-down-their-fellow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilized Men" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-power-to-shoot-down-their-fellow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd9/lysander-spooner-3260_civilized-men_only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-pow_1511883.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...only those who have the will and the power to shoot down their fellow men, are the real rulers in this…” — Lysander Spooner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lysander Spooner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...only those who have the will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-power-to-shoot-down-their-fellow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/only-those-who-have-the-will-and-the-power-to-shoot-down-their-fellow/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```