Men accept servility in order to acquire wealth; as if they could acquire anything of their own when they cannot even assert that they belong to themselves.

— Étienne de La Boétie Discourse on Voluntary Servitude (1548)

Ils veulent servir pour amasser des biens: comme s'ils pouvaient rien gagner qui fût à eux, puisqu'ils ne peuvent même pas dire qu'ils sont à eux-mêmes.

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

Men accept servility in order to acquire wealth; as if they could acquire anything of their own when they cannot even assert that they belong to themselves.

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