Betrayal Quote by Oliver Bullough
““He realized that trust between people is what makes us happy. Any totalitarian state is based on betrayal. It needs people to inform on each other, to avoid socializing to interact only through the state and to avoid unsanctioned meetings.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Politics of the Everyday, Oliver Bullough, 2020
Trust fosters happiness; totalitarian regimes rely on betrayal and surveillance, suppressing genuine social bonds.
In simple terms: Trust makes us happy; dictatorships betray trust.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate trust, resist surveillance.
Themes
trust
happiness
authoritarianism
social cohesion
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- community building
- activism
- personal relationships
- public policy
Key Concepts
political theory
psychology
social control
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you build trust in a surveilled environment?
- What signs indicate a society is shifting toward betrayal?
A Different Perspective
Totalitarian control can persist despite individual trust efforts.
![“[Father Dmitry] “lived through collectivization, the crushing of the 80 percent of Russians that were peasants. He served as a soldier in World War Two, when millions of peasants died defending the government that had crushed them. He spent eight years in the gulag, the network of labour camps…” quote by Oliver Bullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/20d/oliver-bullough-45178_parenting_father-dmitry-lived-through-collectiviza_2046669.jpg)
