---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bondage we are born into is the…"
description: "\"The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance of tyranny. Live long enough, and you will..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png"
---

#  The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see…

![“The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance of tyranny. Live long enough, and you will see: Men resent not the whip so much as the hand that wields it.” quote by R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png)

> “The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance of tyranny. Live long enough, and you will see: Men resent not the whip so much as the hand that wields it.”

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

## About This Quote

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

Invisible constraints bind us; true freedom is ignorance of oppression, yet people resent the source of power more than its tool.

**In simple terms:** We often don't see our own constraints; freedom is lacking awareness of oppression.

Key Takeaway

Seek awareness to gain freedom.

Themes

freedom oppression awareness

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- activism
- education reform
- personal reflection
- media literacy

Key Concepts

political theory psychology sociology

Questions to Reflect On

- What invisible bonds limit you?
- How can you expose hidden oppression?

A Different Perspective

Awareness alone may not change power structures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bondage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/)

## Related quotes

> [“When you are born into bondage you can't see the prison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-you-are-born-into-bondage-you-can-t-see-the-prison/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [A nation of well-informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-nation-of-well-informed-men-who-have-been-taught-to-know-and-prize/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [It is the religion of ignorance that tyranny begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/it-is-the-religion-of-ignorance-that-tyranny-begins/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [They who study mankind with a whip in their hands will always go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/they-who-study-mankind-with-a-whip-in-their-hands-will-always-go-wrong/)

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

> [Return to Shaoshan I regret the passing, the dying, of the vague dream: my native orchards thirty-two years ago. Yet red banners roused the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/return-to-shaoshan-i-regret-the-passing-the-dying-of-the-vague-dream/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

> [The storm lashes us, out of the confusion of grey and yellow the hail of splinters whips forth the childlike cries of the wounded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/the-storm-lashes-us-out-of-the-confusion-of-grey-and-yellow-the-hail/)

[Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/)

> [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [It's easy to whip up resentment against anything that smacks with authority. Nobody ever organizes over pan handlers. So even if a cop is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/it-s-easy-to-whip-up-resentment-against-anything-that-smacks-with/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [...but for a soldier his duty is plain. He is to obey the orders of all those placed over him and whip the enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/but-for-a-soldier-his-duty-is-plain-he-is-to-obey-the-orders-of-all/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [Think of it! A second chamber selected by the Whips. A seraglio of eunuchs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foot/think-of-it-a-second-chamber-selected-by-the-whips-a-seraglio-of/)

[Michael Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foot/)

> [Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-mcclellan/here-is-a-paper-with-which-if-i-cannot-whip-bobbie-lee-i-will-be/)

[George B. McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-b-mcclellan/)

> [And now, what has Anarchism to say to all this, this bankruptcy of republicanism, this modern empire that has grown up on the ruins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/and-now-what-has-anarchism-to-say-to-all-this-this-bankruptcy-of/)

[Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/)

> [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/)

[Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/)

> [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

## More by R. Scott Bakker

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [I tell you, guilt dwells nowhere but in the eyes of the accuser. This men know even as they deny it, which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-tell-you-guilt-dwells-nowhere-but-in-the-eyes-of-the-accuser-this/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“When a man possesses the innocence of a child, we call him a fool. When a child possesses the cunning of a man, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/when-a-man-possesses-the-innocence-of-a-child-we-call-him-a-fool-when/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor ... ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-am-a-warrior-of-ages-anasurimbor-ages-i-have-dipped-my-nimil-in-a/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“The vulgar think the God by analogy to man and so worship Him in the form of the Gods. The learned think the God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-vulgar-think-the-god-by-analogy-to-man-and-so-worship-him-in-the/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [There was such a difference, he thought, between the beauty that illuminated, and the beauty that was illuminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/there-was-such-a-difference-he-thought-between-the-beauty-that/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Complexity begets ambiguity, which yields in all ways to prejudice and avarice. Complication does not so much defeat Men as arm them with fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/complexity-begets-ambiguity-which-yields-in-all-ways-to-prejudice-and/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“Sorweel: „Then how can we hope to resist him?“ Harweel: „With our swords and our shields. And when those fail us, with spit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/sorweel-then-how-can-we-hope-to-resist-him-harweel-with-our-swords/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“He struck his own fire, listened to the night wind roar through the trees. Sometimes, when he could see it, he stared at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/he-struck-his-own-fire-listened-to-the-night-wind-roar-through-the/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“That hope is little more than the premonition of regret. This is the first lesson of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/that-hope-is-little-more-than-the-premonition-of-regret-this-is-the/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“For all things there is a toll. We pay in breaths, and our purse is soon empty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/for-all-things-there-is-a-toll-we-pay-in-breaths-and-our-purse-is/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [I wanted a literate, socially intricate, and cosmopolitan world - something I could have fun destroying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-wanted-a-literate-socially-intricate-and-cosmopolitan-world/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“Only madmen and historians, he said, believe their lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/only-madmen-and-historians-he-said-believe-their-lies/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [“Sleep, when deep enough, is indistinguishable from vigilance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/sleep-when-deep-enough-is-indistinguishable-from-vigilance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

[Explore all 110 R. Scott Bakker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

## More Bondage quotes

> [Just a decade after 'Living in Bondage,' Nollywood films, made in some 300 languages, were being watched in both urban and rural areas, distributed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/just-a-decade-after-living-in-bondage-nollywood-films-made-in-some/)

[Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/)

> [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/too-long-have-the-workers-of-the-world-waited-for-some-moses-to-lead/)

[Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/)

> [If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: "God, preserve my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/if-we-do-not-abide-in-prayer-we-will-abide-in-temptation-let-this-be/)

[John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/)

> [According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/according-to-jains-the-soul-in-pure-form-has-infiniteness-in-terms-of/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [“This is a disturbing fetish, Vin," he says, coming up for air. "Why can't you be into bondage like everyone else?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-manning/this-is-a-disturbing-fetish-vin-he-says-coming-up-for-air-why-can-t/)

[Edmond Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-manning/)

> [Advanced meditators are not even desirous of liberation anymore - that is just another attachment. There is no liberation. There is no bondage. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/advanced-meditators-are-not-even-desirous-of-liberation-anymore-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Slavery is slavery. The chain of gold is quite as bad as the chain of iron. Is there a way out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/slavery-is-slavery-the-chain-of-gold-is-quite-as-bad-as-the-chain-of/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Woman has so long been subject to the disabilities and restrictions with which her progress has been embarrassed that she has become enervated, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/woman-has-so-long-been-subject-to-the-disabilities-and-restrictions/)

[Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/)

> [To my mind, the main reason for the Depression in the United States as a whole, is the bondage of debt and the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-j-grant/to-my-mind-the-main-reason-for-the-depression-in-the-united-states-as/)

[Heber J. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-j-grant/)

> [Our life is a reflection of what we believe we deserve. As we deepen our acceptance of and open ourselves to the Infinite love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/our-life-is-a-reflection-of-what-we-believe-we-deserve-as-we-deepen/)

[Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/)

> [Being aware of the bondage is enough to free you from its clutches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/being-aware-of-the-bondage-is-enough-to-free-you-from-its-clutches/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [You see, money to you means freedom; to me it means bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-see-money-to-you-means-freedom-to-me-it-means-bondage/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 550 Bondage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance of tyranny. Live long enough, and you will see: Men resent not the whip so much as the hand that wields it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "R. Scott Bakker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bondage-we-cannot-see-verily/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bondage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bondage-we-cannot-see-verily/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae4/r-scott-bakker-4344_bondage_the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bond_627778.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance…” — R. Scott Bakker",
                "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": "R. Scott Bakker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The bondage we are born into...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bondage-we-cannot-see-verily/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/the-bondage-we-are-born-into-is-the-bondage-we-cannot-see-verily/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
