"The modern state no longer has anything but rights; it does not recognize duties any more"

This quote by Georges Bernanos speaks to the altering nature of the modern-day state. In the past, the state was seen as having both rights and also tasks, with the duties being the responsibilities of the state to its citizens. Nonetheless, in the modern state, Bernanos suggests that the state no more identifies its obligations, however rather just its civil liberties. This shift in focus from obligations to rights suggests that the contemporary state is more concerned with shielding its own passions than with satisfying its obligations to its residents. This could be viewed as a sign of a state that is coming to be significantly self-seeking as well as much less worried with the welfare of its residents. It can likewise be viewed as an indication of a state that is becoming extra tyrannical, as it is no longer bound by the obligations it has to its citizens. Inevitably, this quote talks to the transforming nature of the modern state as well as the ramifications this shift has for its citizens.