Everybody talks about freedom, citizens, " the big man said gently, seeming to draw upon that very sure source of personal knowledge again, "but they dont really want it. Half of them wants it but the other half dont. What they really want is to maintain an illusion of freedom in front of their wives and business associates. Its a satisfactory compromise, and as long they can have that they can get along without the other which is more expensive. The only trouble is, every man who declares himself free to his friends has to make a slave out of his wife and employees to keep up the illusion and prove it; the wife to be free in front of her bridgeclub has to command her Help, Husband and Heirs. It resolves itself into a battle; whoever wins, the other one loses. For every general in this world there have to be 6, 000 privates. . James Jones
About This Quote

Abraham Lincoln said, "Everybody talks about freedom, citizens. But they don't really want it. Half of them wants it but the other half don't." Lincoln is pointing out that people who want freedom are actually slaves. They are slaves to the system, the idea of freedom.

The only way they can be free is to pretend they are free, and if they can convince others that they're free then people will follow their lead. However, this will never be enough to satisfy everyone because someone always has to feel like a slave. For every general in this world there have to be 6,000 privates.

Source: From Here To Eternity

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