Famous quote by Jean Cocteau

"The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head"

About this Quote

The words of Jean Cocteau capture the paradoxical relationship between individuals who embrace true freedom and the societies in which they live. At the heart of his statement is the idea that authentic freedom, freedom of thought, expression, and action, can make one a target. A person who is truly free does not conform to societal expectations, prescribed roles, or accepted norms. This nonconformity poses a threat to the structures and systems that uphold order, predictability, and control within a community.

Society’s first reaction to genuine freedom is aggression. Those who break away from the norm are often met with hostility, ridicule, or even violence. This is the attempt to "beat you up". At this stage, physical or emotional harm is used to force the individual back into the fold or to prevent others from following their example. If such direct suppression fails, the tactics become more insidious. To "poison you" refers to subtle ways society undermines the free individual, through slander, ostracism, or public misinformation. Whisper campaigns, exclusion from important conversations, and the spread of doubt are all methods used to isolate and belittle the outsider.

When neither direct confrontation nor covert sabotage succeeds, society’s strategy takes a strange turn. Having failed to suppress the rebel spirit, communities may resort to institutionalizing the very person they once persecuted, "loading honors on your head". This step reflects a desperate attempt to domesticate freedom by transforming the maverick into an icon or artifact, thereby stripping them of their subversive power. Honors, awards, and statues effectively neutralize the threat, what was once radical now becomes part of the status quo. By canonizing the free spirit, society rewrites the narrative, presenting rebellion as an exception rather than a challenge to be emulated, and in this way, reasserts its sense of order and control.

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About the Author

France Flag This quote is written / told by Jean Cocteau between July 5, 1889 and October 11, 1963. He/she was a famous Director from France. The author also have 46 other quotes.
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