Jean-Baptiste Rousseau: Of Service
on Sunday, January 31, 2021Jean-Baptiste Rousseau Money Quote saying that when public service is seen as purchasable rather than the core business of citizens, the State may fail. Jean-Baptiste Rousseau said:
“As soon as public service ceases to be the chief business of the citizens, and they would rather serve with their money than with their persons, the State is not far from its fall” — Jean-Baptiste Rousseau
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In this quote, Jean-Baptiste Rousseau is warning about the dangers of citizens becoming detached from civic participation and public service. He suggests that a society is threatened when people would rather financially support the government through taxes than actively engage in governance through voting, community involvement, civil discourse, political processes, public administration roles, or military service.
Rousseau argues that a stable republic requires citizens to directly contribute their time, energy and skills to the functioning of the state, not just their money. The quote implies that such disengagement and overreliance on monetary contributions alone can signify a weakening of civic values and shared responsibility for self-governance among the populace. Rousseau appears to believe this shift away from hands-on public service toward passive financial support through taxes increases the risk of societal and political decline.
Birthday: April 6, 1671 – Death: March 17, 1741