--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For men to be tied and led by authority…" description: "\"For men to be tied and led by authority, as it were with a kind of captivity of judgment, and though there be reason to the contrary not to listen unto..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/richard-hooker-22531_authority_for-men-to-be-tied-and-led-by-authority_833990.jpg" --- # For men to be tied and led by authority, as it were with a… ![“For men to be tied and led by authority, as it were with a kind of captivity of judgment, and though there be reason to the contrary not to listen unto it, but to follow like beasts the first in the herd, they know not, nor care not whither, this were brutish.” quote by Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/richard-hooker-22531_authority_for-men-to-be-tied-and-led-by-authority_833990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/richard-hooker-22531_authority_for-men-to-be-tied-and-led-by-authority_833990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/richard-hooker-22531_authority_for-men-to-be-tied-and-led-by-authority_833990.jpg) > “For men to be tied and led by authority, as it were with a kind of captivity of judgment, and though there be reason to the contrary not to listen unto it, but to follow like beasts the first in the herd, they know not, nor care not whither, this were brutish.” [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage warns that blindly following authority without critical thought leads to a brutish, unthinking herd mentality. **In simple terms:** Blind obedience creates a mindless herd. Key Takeaway Question authority and think independently. Themes authority conformity critical thinking Mood cautionary analytical Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - education - leadership training - public policy debates - personal decision making Key Concepts political philosophy social psychology Questions to Reflect On - When should we trust experts versus our own judgment? - How does questioning authority affect social cohesion? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on authority can stifle innovation and personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Captivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captivity/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [When all authority of every kind is put aside, denied, then you can find out for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/when-all-authority-of-every-kind-is-put-aside-denied-then-you-can/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I don't want to say that having power is overrated, but powerlessness can give rise to a different kind of authority, and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-specktor/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-having-power-is-overrated-but-powerlessness/) [Matthew Specktor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-specktor/) > [I'm a fan or naysayer like everyone else, not an authority of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fry/i-m-a-fan-or-naysayer-like-everyone-else-not-an-authority-of-any-kind/) [Paul Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fry/) > [Those who, like the beasts, have no such Hope, pass their old age shrouded with an inward gloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/those-who-like-the-beasts-have-no-such-hope-pass-their-old-age/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [Human brutes, like other beasts, find snares and poison in the provision of life, and are allured by their appetites to their destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/human-brutes-like-other-beasts-find-snares-and-poison-in-the/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [People had always seemed to Gertrude rather like the beasts in Animal Farm : all equally detestable, but some more equally detestable than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/people-had-always-seemed-to-gertrude-rather-like-the-beasts-in-animal/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [In this job it's like beasts of prey in a cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo-rios/in-this-job-it-s-like-beasts-of-prey-in-a-cage/) Marcelo Rios > [One of the things I like best about Netflix is that they make projects like 'Beasts of No Nation.' 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In one corner, kneeling on the dirt floor with his elbows on his cot, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hooker/look-hawkeye-said-duke-looked-where-hawkeye-was-pointing-in-one/) [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) > [See we not plainly that obedience of creatures unto the law of nature is the stay of the whole world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hooker/see-we-not-plainly-that-obedience-of-creatures-unto-the-law-of-nature/) [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) > [“He might make it, even if all I really did was hit him in the head with an axe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hooker/he-might-make-it-even-if-all-i-really-did-was-hit-him-in-the-head/) [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) > [From here it sounds great to say we'll all get together soon, but all I know is this: you can call me fifty days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hooker/from-here-it-sounds-great-to-say-we-ll-all-get-together-soon-but-all/) [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) > [Think of your child, then, not as dead, but as living; not as a flower that has withered, but as one that is transplanted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hooker/think-of-your-child-then-not-as-dead-but-as-living-not-as-a-flower/) [Richard Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) [Explore all 27 Richard Hooker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hooker/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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