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The social group which the city represents is so strong that it draws men into sin which is hardly personal to them, but from which they cannot dissociate themselves even if they so desire. Individual virtues are engulfed by the sin of the city.

— Jacques Ellul The Meaning of the City (1951)

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More quotes by Jacques Ellul

I describe a world with no exit, convinced that God accompanies man throughout his history.

Interview in Le Monde (1981)

Hate, hunger, and pride make better levers of propaganda than do love or impartiality.

Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (1962)

What seems to be one of the disasters of our time is that we all appear to agree that the nation-state is the norm.

Anarchy and Christianity [Anarchie et Christianisme (1988)

In a society such as ours, it is almost impossible for a person to be responsible.

The Betrayal by Technology (1993)

The will of the world is always a will to death, a will to suicide. We must not accept this suicide, and we must so act that it cannot take place.

The Presence of the Kingdom (1948)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Jacques Ellul (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.