--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny…" description: "\"Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg" --- # Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but… ![“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little…” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg) > “Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secrecy and censorship enable tyranny more effectively than brute force; a free mind resists domination. **In simple terms:** Control through hidden knowledge is stronger than overt force. Key Takeaway Protect transparency, value free thought. Themes freedom power control knowledge oppression Mood cautious critical determined Type political philosophical warning When to use this quote - government policy - education - media regulation - activism - personal autonomy Key Concepts political theory psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does secrecy erode trust? - What safeguards protect free thought? A Different Perspective Even with free mind, external pressures can still limit freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Atomic bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquer/) [End result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-result/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Force Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force-secrecy-1904553/) [Free man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-man/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Keystones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keystones/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Racks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racks/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secrecy Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy-censorship-1904554/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Tyranny Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny-force-1904555/) ## Related quotes > [There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/there-is-no-worse-tyranny-than-to-force-a-man-to-pay-for-what-he-does/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“For the first time in my life, I was reading things which had not been approved by the Prophet's censors, and the impact on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-was-reading-things-which-had-not-been/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Secrecy, censorship, dishonesty, and blocking of communication threaten all the basic needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/secrecy-censorship-dishonesty-and-blocking-of-communication-threaten/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/mighty-little-force-is-needed-to-control-a-man-whose-mind-has-been/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I believe, along with Pope Francis and almost all scientists, that climate change is threatening this planet in horrendous ways, and that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-believe-along-with-pope-francis-and-almost-all-scientists-that/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The cell, this elementary keystone of living nature, is far from being a peculiar chemical giant molecule or even a living protein and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hertwig/the-cell-this-elementary-keystone-of-living-nature-is-far-from-being/) [Oscar Hertwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hertwig/) > [Churchill decides from very early on that he will create a political position that is somehow above left and right, embodying the best points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/churchill-decides-from-very-early-on-that-he-will-create-a-political/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [We certainly ... hope that the Congress will act in an appropriate fashion and not waste its time with ineffectual, sham legislation on Keystone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/we-certainly-hope-that-the-congress-will-act-in-an-appropriate/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [I heard Joby Talbot's Hovercraft piece for orchestra and felt its immediate physical impact - visceral, unsettling, hungry and direct. These short five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-mcgregor/i-heard-joby-talbot-s-hovercraft-piece-for-orchestra-and-felt-its/) [Wayne McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-mcgregor/) > [Owning a home is a keystone of wealth - both financial affluence and emotional security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/owning-a-home-is-a-keystone-of-wealth-both-financial-affluence-and/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/medicine-is-the-keystone-of-the-arch-of-socialism/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think a lot of the reason people are attracted to the Keystone pipeline is because at least we're doing something. There's a fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/i-think-a-lot-of-the-reason-people-are-attracted-to-the-keystone/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [Many of the medicines we use today, to fight everything from AIDS to cancer, originate as a toxin in an amphibian skin. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/many-of-the-medicines-we-use-today-to-fight-everything-from-aids-to/) [Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/) > [I am passionate about making sure that we collectively and proactively preserve all of the world's most iconic coastal and oceanic wild places -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-dedina/i-am-passionate-about-making-sure-that-we-collectively-and/) [Serge Dedina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-dedina/) > [What I've started to realize is that social media is not just technology - it's become its own entity, full of energy waves. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/what-i-ve-started-to-realize-is-that-social-media-is-not-just/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-instinct-to-survive-is-human-nature-itself-and-every-aspect-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I tried to dig out of the computer a call directory for Luna. But it was still sulking. I could not get it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-tried-to-dig-out-of-the-computer-a-call-directory-for-luna-but-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“this has more aspects than a cat has hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/this-has-more-aspects-than-a-cat-has-hair/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/never-own-more-than-you-can-carry-in-both-hands-at-a-dead-run/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“In Wilson's scale of evaluations breakfast rated just after life itself and ahead of the chance of immortality." ~ By His Bootstraps / Robert A. Heinlein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-wilson-s-scale-of-evaluations-breakfast-rated-just-after-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ignorance-is-curable-stupid-is-forever/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Explore all 888 Robert A. Heinlein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More Atheist quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“The atheist joined his hands. It wasn't against the Gods. He smiled, with his hands folded, saw his daughter's in-laws approaching near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/the-atheist-joined-his-hands-it-wasn-t-against-the-gods-he-smiled/) [Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [An Atheist wandering down a road where he meets up a four road junction , he asks a passer by hey !, where does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-atheist-wandering-down-a-road-where-he-meets-up-a-four-road/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) [Browse all 2,434 Atheist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, \"This you may not read, this you must not know,\" the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. Heinlein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-not-force-but-secrecy-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atheist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-not-force-but-secrecy-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/robert-a-heinlein-209_atheist_secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-n_975905.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church…” — Robert A. Heinlein", "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": "Robert A. Heinlein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Secrecy is the keystone to all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-not-force-but-secrecy-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-not-force-but-secrecy-and/#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 } } ] } ```