--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Domination delegates the physical…" description: "\"Domination delegates the physical violence on which it rests to the dominated.\" — Theodor Adorno" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg" --- # Domination delegates the physical violence on which it… ![“Domination delegates the physical violence on which it rests to the dominated.” quote by Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg) > “Domination delegates the physical violence on which it rests to the dominated.” [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power structures shift the burden of violence onto those they dominate, preserving dominance through oppression. **In simple terms:** Dominant groups outsource violence to the oppressed. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge delegated violence. Themes power violence domination Mood critical analytical Type sociological philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - social justice work - community organizing - education reform Key Concepts social control structural oppression critical theory Questions to Reflect On - What forms of resistance can disrupt this delegation? - How does this dynamic appear in modern institutions? A Different Perspective The analysis may overlook individuals who resist or subvert the delegated violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Domination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domination/) [Physical violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-violence/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [There's nothing worse than a violent beating from an unremarkable person. Physical violence with someone is too much like shagging them. Too much id…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-violent-beating-from-an-unremarkable/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I've never liked talking about my personal life, ever. Ever since I was 20, I've lived in a kind of public arena; and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dalton/i-ve-never-liked-talking-about-my-personal-life-ever-ever-since-i-was/) [Timothy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dalton/) > [I think when people talk about civil liberties, they sometimes forget that action taken to protect the citizen against physical violence and physical attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/i-think-when-people-talk-about-civil-liberties-they-sometimes-forget/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [I was always a feminist, for I liked intellectual revolt as much as I disliked physical violence. On the whole, I think women havelost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-was-always-a-feminist-for-i-liked-intellectual-revolt-as-much-as-i/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Everything that has ever been called folk art has always reflected domination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/everything-that-has-ever-been-called-folk-art-has-always-reflected/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The soul is part of the body. The mind is part of the body. When folks do physical violence to black people, to black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-soul-is-part-of-the-body-the-mind-is-part-of-the-body-when-folks/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The time has also come to recognize the painful truth that traditional Judeo-Christian moral values of pain and pleasure in human relationships have contributed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-prescott/the-time-has-also-come-to-recognize-the-painful-truth-that/) James W. Prescott > [“Online threats of violence seem to have a very simple purpose: they are intended to act as a reminder to women that men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/online-threats-of-violence-seem-to-have-a-very-simple-purpose-they/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) > [“Legal and political theory have committed much mischief by failing to pinpoint physical invasion as the only human action that should be illegal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-n-rothbard/legal-and-political-theory-have-committed-much-mischief-by-failing-to/) [Murray N. Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/) > [I like violence because I like looking at it and I like understanding emotional and physical violence and how they work with one another...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-peirce/i-like-violence-because-i-like-looking-at-it-and-i-like-understanding/) [Kimberly Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-peirce/) > [I've been trying to get away from physical violence; it's too easy; it doesn't satisfy me artistically to work with it. Dramatic violence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/i-ve-been-trying-to-get-away-from-physical-violence-it-s-too-easy-it/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [“Sir, in your thirty-nine years as a parent, you broke your children's hearts, collectively and individually, 612 times and you did this without ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/sir-in-your-thirty-nine-years-as-a-parent-you-broke-your-children-s/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [My family were staunch believers in physical violence, not automatic violence, and we had a Safeway around the corner, so we never really needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-notaro/my-family-were-staunch-believers-in-physical-violence-not-automatic/) [Laurie Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-notaro/) > [“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-must-forever-conduct-our-struggle-on-the-high-plane-of-dignity-and/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“He's like everybody else in television. And Hollywood. And Broadway. He thinks everything sentimental is tender, everything brutal is a slice of realism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-3/he-s-like-everybody-else-in-television-and-hollywood-and-broadway-he/) J D Salinger ## More by Theodor Adorno > [Proletarian language is dictated by hunger. The poor chew words to fill their bellies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/proletarian-language-is-dictated-by-hunger-the-poor-chew-words-to/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [No harm comes to man from outside alone: dumbness is the objective spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/no-harm-comes-to-man-from-outside-alone-dumbness-is-the-objective/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Advancing bourgeois society liquidates memory, time, recollection as irrational leftovers of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/advancing-bourgeois-society-liquidates-memory-time-recollection-as/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The power of the culture industry's ideology is such that conformity has replaced consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-power-of-the-culture-industry-s-ideology-is-such-that-conformity/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The man for whom time stretches out painfully is one waiting in vain, disappointed at not finding tomorrow already continuing yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-man-for-whom-time-stretches-out-painfully-is-one-waiting-in-vain/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Everybody must have projects all the time. The maximum must be extracted from leisure ... The whole of life must look like a job,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/everybody-must-have-projects-all-the-time-the-maximum-must-be/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [It is not the office of art to spotlight alternatives, but to resist by its form alone the course of the world, which permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/it-is-not-the-office-of-art-to-spotlight-alternatives-but-to-resist/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [“The paradise offered by the culture industry is the same old drudgery. Both escape and elopement are pre-designed to lead back to the starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-paradise-offered-by-the-culture-industry-is-the-same-old-drudgery/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The sublime is only a step removed from the ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-sublime-is-only-a-step-removed-from-the-ridiculous/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The triumph of advertising in the culture industry is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-triumph-of-advertising-in-the-culture-industry-is-that-consumers/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [When all actions are mathematically calculated, they also take on a stupid quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/when-all-actions-are-mathematically-calculated-they-also-take-on-a/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [A thinking that approaches it objects openly, rigorously ... is also free toward its objects in the sense that it refuses to have rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/a-thinking-that-approaches-it-objects-openly-rigorously-is-also-free/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [None of the abstract concepts comes closer to fulfilled utopia than that of eternal peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/none-of-the-abstract-concepts-comes-closer-to-fulfilled-utopia-than/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The creed of evil has been, since the beginnings of highly industrialized society, not only a precursor of barbarism but a mask of good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-creed-of-evil-has-been-since-the-beginnings-of-highly/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The most powerful person is he who is able to do least himself and burden others most with the things for which he lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-most-powerful-person-is-he-who-is-able-to-do-least-himself-and/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) [Explore all 193 Theodor Adorno quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) ## More Dominated quotes > [I don't mind working, holding my ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman I want to be dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-don-t-mind-working-holding-my-ground-intellectually-artistically/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“You want to be dominated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/you-want-to-be-dominated/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) > [“...but it does involve a woman. A beautiful, lying, conniving, voluptuous, sexy as hell, witch of a woman, one who has in an inconceivably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-alley/but-it-does-involve-a-woman-a-beautiful-lying-conniving-voluptuous/) Penny Alley > [Music is a male-dominated field. Women are not always taken as seriously as we should be, so sometimes we have to put our foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-elliot/music-is-a-male-dominated-field-women-are-not-always-taken-as/) [Missy Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-elliot/) > [The degree to which campaigns have become dominated by marketing is breaking the spirit of democracy, and we're all just so sick of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weinberger/the-degree-to-which-campaigns-have-become-dominated-by-marketing-is/) [David Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weinberger/) > [A weapon kills people and makes people in cities dominated by fear. But if you turn it into an instrument, it's like social gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-reyes/a-weapon-kills-people-and-makes-people-in-cities-dominated-by-fear/) [Pedro Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-reyes/) > [It's not a male-dominated anything... It's WWE, and it's for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mcmahon/it-s-not-a-male-dominated-anything-it-s-wwe-and-it-s-for-anybody/) [Stephanie McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mcmahon/) > [I'm used to being in a male-dominated arena and have thick skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-lofaso/i-m-used-to-being-in-a-male-dominated-arena-and-have-thick-skin/) [Antonia Lofaso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-lofaso/) > [I'm dominated by Love, By my passion of love for Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-m-dominated-by-love-by-my-passion-of-love-for-love/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I'm female. I'm human. Sometimes I dominate and sometimes I'm dominated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fallon-fox/i-m-female-i-m-human-sometimes-i-dominate-and-sometimes-i-m-dominated/) [Fallon Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fallon-fox/) > [I think there's a tendency for modern man to become dominated by gadgets and machines, taking us further and further away from the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-day/i-think-there-s-a-tendency-for-modern-man-to-become-dominated-by/) [Robin Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-day/) > [My mother was a dominant force in our family. And I always saw her as the leader. And that was great for me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-our-family-and-i-always-saw-her-as/) [Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/) > [My education was dominated by modernist thinkers and artists who taught me that the supreme imperative was courage to face the awful truth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-education-was-dominated-by-modernist-thinkers-and-artists-who/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I have seen women who are very interested in tech finish their graduate or undergraduate degrees, but then choose not to pursue a career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-have-seen-women-who-are-very-interested-in-tech-finish-their/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [My mum always felt that women deserved as much as men, and should have as much power, so I suppose I opted to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/my-mum-always-felt-that-women-deserved-as-much-as-men-and-should-have/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) Browse all 118 Dominated quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Domination delegates the physical violence on which it rests to the dominated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodor Adorno" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/domination-delegates-the-physical-violence-on-which-it-rests-to-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dominated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/domination-delegates-the-physical-violence-on-which-it-rests-to-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/theodor-adorno-1995_dominated_domination-delegates-the-physical-violen_327374.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Domination delegates the physical violence on which it rests to the dominated.” — Theodor Adorno", "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": "Theodor Adorno", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Domination delegates the physical violence on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/domination-delegates-the-physical-violence-on-which-it-rests-to-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/domination-delegates-the-physical-violence-on-which-it-rests-to-the/#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 } } ] } ```