--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [A]s long as individuals are compelled to…" description: "\"“[A]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire them, as long as their role in production is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg" --- # \[A\]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves… ![“[A]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire them, as long as their role in production is simply that of ancillary tools, then there are striking elements of coercion and oppression that make talk of democracy very limited, if meaningful.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg) > ““\[A\]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire them, as long as their role in production is simply that of ancillary tools, then there are striking elements of coercion and oppression that make talk of democracy very limited, if meaningful.”” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When people must sell their labor as a commodity, they become tools, creating coercion that limits true democratic participation. **In simple terms:** Selling labor as a commodity creates coercion and limits democracy. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge labor commodification. Themes labor democracy coercion oppression economics Mood critical concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - union organizing - policy advocacy - worker cooperatives - educational workshops - legal reform Key Concepts Marxist theory power dynamics human autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How does commodifying labor affect personal freedom? - What alternatives can reduce coercion? A Different Perspective Even with reforms, systemic market forces may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coercion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coercion/) [Coercion Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coercion-oppression-3950067/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individuals Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuals-compelled-3950069/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Oppression Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression-make-3950068/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [What is surprising is not that oppression should make its appearance only after higher forms of economy have been reached, but that it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-is-surprising-is-not-that-oppression-should-make-its-appearance/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [That's one part of oppression is to make sure you are a shameful, shamed human being. That takes care of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachy-mccourt/that-s-one-part-of-oppression-is-to-make-sure-you-are-a-shameful/) [Malachy McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachy-mccourt/) > [In the West, you don't get in any trouble if you tell the truth, but you still can't do it. Not only can't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-west-you-don-t-get-in-any-trouble-if-you-tell-the-truth-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [All socialism involves slavery… That which fundamentally distinguishes the slave is that he labors under coercion to satisfy another's desires. 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I don't just mean in terms of limits on state coercion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-many-respects-the-united-states-is-the-freest-country-in-the-world/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Far from creating independent thinkers, schools have always, throughout history, played an institutional role in a system of control and coercion. And once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/far-from-creating-independent-thinkers-schools-have-always-throughout/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Technologies can be liberating, but it can also be a tool of coercion and control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/technologies-can-be-liberating-but-it-can-also-be-a-tool-of-coercion/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Those are possibilities for technology, which don't tend to be used, because of the way power is concentrated. 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Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. 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The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Coercion is the basis of every law in the universe,--human or divine. A law is not law without coercion behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/coercion-is-the-basis-of-every-law-in-the-universe-human-or-divine-a/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [“Love is not coercion, and the state is only an agent of coercion. It has no other function and can work no other way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mcdurmon/love-is-not-coercion-and-the-state-is-only-an-agent-of-coercion-it/) [Joel McDurmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mcdurmon/) > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [The First Amendment exists to protect our religious liberty--to ensure that all Americans are able to seek out worship God with all our hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-first-amendment-exists-to-protect-our-religious-liberty-to-ensure/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [There’s one thing that’s been 'learned' maybe from Tunisia and Egypt that I think is a mistake. And that is that the existing ruler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/there-s-one-thing-that-s-been-learned-maybe-from-tunisia-and-egypt/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/economic-freedom-is-an-essential-requisite-for-political-freedom-by/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“Men are moral beings in their untrammelled nature. If constraint and coercion can once be removed they will be happy and if they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/men-are-moral-beings-in-their-untrammelled-nature-if-constraint-and/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [“If you require force to promote your ideal, there is something wrong with your ideal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jsb-morse/if-you-require-force-to-promote-your-ideal-there-is-something-wrong/) [JSB Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jsb-morse/) > [The idea of painless, nonthreatening coercion is an illusion. Fear is the inseparable companion of coercion, and its inescapable consequence. If you think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/the-idea-of-painless-nonthreatening-coercion-is-an-illusion-fear-is/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) > [To say that we mutually agree to coercion is not to say that we are required to enjoy it, or even to pretend we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hardin/to-say-that-we-mutually-agree-to-coercion-is-not-to-say-that-we-are/) [Garrett Hardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hardin/) > [“There are always a dozen reasons for doing nothing," Ann liked to say--it was a favourite apologia, indeed, for many of her misdemeanours. "There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/there-are-always-a-dozen-reasons-for-doing-nothing-ann-liked-to-say/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The state is the only institution entitled to apply coercion and compulsion and to inflict harm upon individuals. This tremendous power cannot be abandoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-state-is-the-only-institution-entitled-to-apply-coercion-and/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [So what is government?... Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion - such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/so-what-is-government-very-simply-it-is-an-agency-of-coercion-of/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“Coercing attitude drains your strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/coercing-attitude-drains-your-strength/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) [Browse all 310 Coercion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coercion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[A]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire them, as long as their role in production is simply that of ancillary tools, then there are striking elements of coercion and oppression that make talk of democracy very limited, if meaningful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noam Chomsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to-rent-themselves-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coercion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to-rent-themselves-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/noam-chomsky-42_coercion_a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to_2063768.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[A]s long as individuals are compelled to rent themselves on the market to those who are willing to hire…” — Noam Chomsky", "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": "Noam Chomsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“[A]s long as individuals are compelled...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to-rent-themselves-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-s-long-as-individuals-are-compelled-to-rent-themselves-on-the/#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 } } ] } ```