--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about…" description: "\"I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about them, but when you bring it up, the idea that you have to rent yourself to somebody and follow their orders, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/noam-chomsky-42_attacking_i-mean-it-s-true-nobody-talks-about-them_1457119.jpg" --- # I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about them, but when you… ![“I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about them, but when you bring it up, the idea that you have to rent yourself to somebody and follow their orders, and that they own and you work there, and you built it but you don’t own it, that’s a highly unnatural notion. You don’t have to study any complicated…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/noam-chomsky-42_attacking_i-mean-it-s-true-nobody-talks-about-them_1457119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/noam-chomsky-42_attacking_i-mean-it-s-true-nobody-talks-about-them_1457119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/noam-chomsky-42_attacking_i-mean-it-s-true-nobody-talks-about-them_1457119.jpg) > “I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about them, but when you bring it up, the idea that you have to rent yourself to somebody and follow their orders, and that they own and you work there, and you built it but you don’t own it, that’s a highly unnatural notion. You don’t have to study any complicated theories to see that this is an attack on human dignity.” [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. Forced labor under private ownership violates human dignity, regardless of theory. **In simple terms:** Renting yourself to an employer is undignified. Key Takeaway Support worker ownership and autonomy. Themes labor rights human dignity ownership economics Mood critical concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - union organizing - co‑ops - policy reform - education campaigns Key Concepts exploitation worker empowerment ownership models Questions to Reflect On - What structures protect worker dignity? - How can societies balance efficiency with autonomy? A Different Perspective Transition to worker ownership can be complex and costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Human dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-dignity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Linguists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linguists/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Subordination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subordination/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [A drone strike is a terror weapon, we don't talk about it that way. It is; just imagine you are walking down the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-drone-strike-is-a-terror-weapon-we-don-t-talk-about-it-that-way-it/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [A captured pirate was brought before Alexander the Great. “How dare you molest the sea?” asked Alexander. “How dare you molest the whole world?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-captured-pirate-was-brought-before-alexander-the-great-how-dare-you/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The corporations plainly want academic scholarship to create a web of mystification that will avoid any public awareness of the way in which power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-corporations-plainly-want-academic-scholarship-to-create-a-web-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If we don't believe in free expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-we-don-t-believe-in-free-expression-for-people-we-despise-we-don-t/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Judge Afiuni has suffered enough. She has been subject to acts of violence and humiliations to undermine her human dignity. I am convinced that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/judge-afiuni-has-suffered-enough-she-has-been-subject-to-acts-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I come from a family of linguists. My maternal grandparents have been authors and translators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/i-come-from-a-family-of-linguists-my-maternal-grandparents-have-been/) [Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/) > [A lot of linguists in the market, especially interpreters of foreign languages, do not have a great command over the English language, especially if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinmayi/a-lot-of-linguists-in-the-market-especially-interpreters-of-foreign/) [Chinmayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinmayi/) > [A linguist deaf to the poetic functions of language and a literary scholar indifferent to linguistics are equally flagrant anachronisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/a-linguist-deaf-to-the-poetic-functions-of-language-and-a-literary/) [Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/) > [Political linguists have argued that the right often uses stories to make an argument, while the left falls back on facts and statistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/political-linguists-have-argued-that-the-right-often-uses-stories-to/) [Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/) > [As a linguist, I don't think of Ada as a big language. Now, English and Japanese, those are big languages. Ada is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/as-a-linguist-i-don-t-think-of-ada-as-a-big-language-now-english-and/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Language doesn't belong to grammarians, linguists, wordsmiths, writers, or editors. It belongs to the people who use it. It goes where people want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-maggio/language-doesn-t-belong-to-grammarians-linguists-wordsmiths-writers/) [Rosalie Maggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-maggio/) > [“A language is the joint historical creation of millions of speakers. Although all speakers have some effect on the trajectory of a language, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-scott/a-language-is-the-joint-historical-creation-of-millions-of-speakers/) [James C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-scott/) > [Knowledge never springs from faith. It springs from doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/knowledge-never-springs-from-faith-it-springs-from-doubt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All dogs seem to be great linguists, according to their owners. They always understand every word that's said to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/all-dogs-seem-to-be-great-linguists-according-to-their-owners-they/) [Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/) > [Music is a manifestation of the human spirit, similar to language. Its greatest practitioners have conveyed to mankind things not possible to say in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-kodaly/music-is-a-manifestation-of-the-human-spirit-similar-to-language-its/) [Zoltan Kodaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-kodaly/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. 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. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Attacking quotes > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/wine-is-the-first-weapon-that-devils-use-in-attacking-the-young/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [I've gotten better at calling out coverages, communication, and being vertical when they're attacking me in the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-zubac/i-ve-gotten-better-at-calling-out-coverages-communication-and-being/) [Ivica Zubac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-zubac/) > [Before I signed for Liverpool, I was playing for Newcastle as a No. 10 - basically, I was always attacking. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/before-i-signed-for-liverpool-i-was-playing-for-newcastle-as-a-no-10/) [Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/) > [It's a big part of my game, attacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/it-s-a-big-part-of-my-game-attacking/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/this-is-really-good-donovan-caine-said-attacking-his-third-strawberry/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [Dravid Could play attacking cricket like me but i could never play like him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/dravid-could-play-attacking-cricket-like-me-but-i-could-never-play/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [Islamic fundamentalism is attacking us at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/islamic-fundamentalism-is-attacking-us-at-home/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [“California cat that chased off attacking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/california-cat-that-chased-off-attacking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) Browse all 580 Attacking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I mean, it’s true, nobody talks about them, but when you bring it up, the idea that you have to rent yourself to somebody and follow their orders, and that they own and you work there, and you built it but you don’t own it, that’s a highly unnatural notion. 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