What must never be lost sight of is that a public functionary, in his capacity as functionary, produces absolutely nothing; that, on the contrary, he exists only on the products of the industrious class; and that he can consume nothing that has not been taken from the producers.
Interpretation
Public officials do not create value themselves but rely on the labor of productive members of society.
In this quote, Charles Dunoyer emphasizes the role of public officials in society, highlighting that they do not contribute to the economy through production. Instead, their existence and salary depend entirely on the efforts and productivity of workers, thus underlining an essential truth about the interconnectedness of labor and public service.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of productive labor in society.
I have become so accustomed to think "scientifically" that I am afraid even to imagine that there may be something else beyond the outer covering of life. I feel like a man condemned to death, whose companions have been hanged and who has already become reconciled to the thought that the same fate awaits him.
The world, dear Agnes, is a strange affair.
The news automatically becomes the real world for the TV user and is not a substitute for reality, but is itself an immediate reality.
What if the counterculture was only a stumbling beginning, rather than the best that could be hoped for?
In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood.
I am bored with gabbers and their gab; my soul abhors them. . . . Is there any place where there is no traffic in empty talk? Is there on this earth one who does not worship himself talking?
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.