---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two ways to conquer and enslave…"
description: "\"“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” -John Adams”\" — Mark Goodwin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg"
---

#  There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One…

![“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” -John Adams” quote by Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg)

> ““There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” -John Adams””

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Power can be secured through force or financial control, with debt being a subtle, lasting method of domination.

**In simple terms:** Control can be achieved by war or by economic dependence.

Key Takeaway

Beware hidden financial leverage.

Themes

politics economics power control

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

political historical

When to use this quote

- national policy
- foreign aid
- corporate lending
- personal finance

Key Concepts

sovereignty debt colonialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does debt influence modern geopolitics?
- What safeguards protect against economic domination?

A Different Perspective

Debt can be harder to detect and resist than overt violence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conquer Enslave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquer-enslave-5853368/) [Enslave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enslave/) [Enslave Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enslave-country-2730151/) [John Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adam/) [John adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adams/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Sword Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sword-debt-2730150/) [Ways Conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways-conquer-6045000/)

## Related quotes

> [There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams-1826/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-nation-one-is-by-the/)

[John Adams 1826](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams-1826/)

> [There Are Two Ways to Enslave A Country…One is by the Sword, the Other is by Debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/there-are-two-ways-to-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the-sword-the-other/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -George Mason - Father of the Bill of Rights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/to-disarm-the-people-is-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“By their actions, the Founding Fathers made clear that their primary concern was religious freedom, not the advancement of a state religion. Individuals, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-t-lambert/by-their-actions-the-founding-fathers-made-clear-that-their-primary/)

[Franklin T. Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-t-lambert/)

> [ A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought \[Tomas Jefferson and John Adams\] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/a-mutual-friend-benjamin-rush-brought-tomas-jefferson-and-john-adams/)

[Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/)

> [When a friend of Abigail and John Adams was killed at Bunker Hill, Abigail's response was to write a letter to her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/when-a-friend-of-abigail-and-john-adams-was-killed-at-bunker-hill/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [ The economic answer to the world's problems is John Adams, not \[Karl\] Marx. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ringo/the-economic-answer-to-the-world-s-problems-is-john-adams-not-karl/)

[John Ringo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ringo/)

> [ I think \[John Adams\] developed a much deeper suspicion of France and the other European powers than he had earlier. He lost much if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/i-think-john-adams-developed-a-much-deeper-suspicion-of-france-and/)

[Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/)

> [ By 1782 \[John Adams\] had come to feel for \[Benjamin\] Franklin "no other sentiments than Contempt or Abhorrence." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-1782-john-adams-had-come-to-feel-for-benjamin-franklin-no-other/)

[Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/)

> [ By the time \[John Adams\] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as dark a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-the-time-john-adams-came-to-write-his-defence-of-the-constitutions/)

[Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/)

> [“You go on, I presume, with your latin Exercises: and I wish to hear of your beginning upon Sallust who is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/you-go-on-i-presume-with-your-latin-exercises-and-i-wish-to-hear-of/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [ Every answer he \[President John Adams\] gives to his addressers unmasks more and more his principles and views. His language to the young men… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/every-answer-he-president-john-adams-gives-to-his-addressers-unmasks/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/)

[James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/)

## More by Mark Goodwin

> [“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -George Mason - Father of the Bill of Rights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/to-disarm-the-people-is-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“Complexity is evidence of design,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/complexity-is-evidence-of-design/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/the-constitution-is-not-an-instrument-for-the-government-to-restrain/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/do-not-be-yoked-together-with-unbelievers-for-what-do-righteousness/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence; true friendship is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/be-courteous-to-all-but-intimate-with-few-and-let-those-few-be-well-2/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“The trifling economy of paper, as a cheaper medium, or its convenience for transmission, weighs nothing in opposition to the advantages of the precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/the-trifling-economy-of-paper-as-a-cheaper-medium-or-its-convenience-2/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/for-i-was-hungry-and-you-gave-me-something-to-eat-i-was-thirsty-and/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/you-will-lend-to-many-nations-but-will-borrow-from-none/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“That the people have a Right to mass and to bear arms; that a well-regulated militia composed of the Body of the people, trained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/that-the-people-have-a-right-to-mass-and-to-bear-arms-that-a-well-2/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [“believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/believe-that-banking-institutions-are-more-dangerous-to-our-liberties/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

[Explore all 11 Mark Goodwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

## More Enslave quotes

> [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/)

> [A man who will enslave his own blood, may not be safely relied on for magnamity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-man-who-will-enslave-his-own-blood-may-not-be-safely-relied-on-for/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [Why not exploit, enslave, or exterminate a class that everybody is taught to regard as inferior?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/why-not-exploit-enslave-or-exterminate-a-class-that-everybody-is/)

[Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/)

> [“Society always tries to enslave, imprison, and execute its greatest men, those who dare to stand apart and rise above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-torode/society-always-tries-to-enslave-imprison-and-execute-its-greatest-men/)

[Sam Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-torode/)

> [“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -George Mason - Father of the Bill of Rights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/to-disarm-the-people-is-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/)

[Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/)

> [Some people steal from others, or defraud them, or enslave them, seizing their product and preventing them from living as they choose, or forcibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nozick/some-people-steal-from-others-or-defraud-them-or-enslave-them-seizing/)

[Robert Nozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nozick/)

> [The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-hebrew-scriptures-say-it-s-okay-to-enslave-anybody-except-your/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [They wanna hang us, see us dead, or enslave us, keep us trapped in the same place we raised in. Then they wonder why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-dre/they-wanna-hang-us-see-us-dead-or-enslave-us-keep-us-trapped-in-the/)

[Dr. Dre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-dre/)

> [“To disarm the people--that was the best and most effective way to enslave them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/to-disarm-the-people-that-was-the-best-and-most-effective-way-to/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [Give. Giving affirms Christ's lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of mammon that would enslave me and transfers my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/give-giving-affirms-christ-s-lordship-it-dethrones-me-and-exalts-him/)

[Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/)

> [They enslave their children's children who make compromise with sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/they-enslave-their-children-s-children-who-make-compromise-with-sin/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The Grecians and Romans were strongly possessed of the spirit of liberty but not the principle, for at the time they were determined not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-grecians-and-romans-were-strongly-possessed-of-the-spirit-of/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [“But if you want to truly enslave someone, there is something even more powerful than fear, and that is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-thorn/but-if-you-want-to-truly-enslave-someone-there-is-something-even-more/)

[J. Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-thorn/)

> [Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/dictators-free-themselves-but-they-enslave-the-people/)

[Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/)

> [“There is no such thing as "the right to enslave".A nation can do it , just as a man can become a criminal -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-right-to-enslave-a-nation-can-do-it/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

[Browse all 116 Enslave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enslave/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” -John Adams”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Goodwin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enslave"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/mark-goodwin-39621_enslave_there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslav_3219244.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” -John Adams” — Mark Goodwin",
                "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": "Mark Goodwin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There are two ways to conquer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/there-are-two-ways-to-conquer-and-enslave-a-country-one-is-by-the-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
