Labor and trouble one can always get through alone, but it takes two to be glad.
Henrik IbsenRead
The State is the curse of the individual... The State must go! That will be a revolution which will find me on its side. Undermine the idea of the State, set up in its place spontaneous action, and the idea that spiritual relationship is the only thing that makes for unity, and you will start the elements of a liberty which will be something worth possessing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the concept of the State, advocating for individual autonomy and spiritual unity as the foundation of true liberty.
Henrik Ibsen expresses a revolutionary sentiment against the oppressive nature of the State, suggesting that it stifles individual freedom and creativity. He emphasizes the need for spontaneous action and acknowledges that a genuine sense of unity arises not from institutions or authority, but from spiritual relationships among individuals. By undermining the traditional notion of the State, Ibsen advocates for a form of liberty rooted in personal connection and collective spirit.
Themes
StateFreedomIndividualLibertyUnityCultureSpontaneity
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on social philosophy, you could use this quote to provoke discussion about the role of government in personal freedoms.
More from Henrik Ibsen
All quotes βThe majority never has right on its side. Never, I say! That is one of these social lies against which an independent, intelligent men must wage war. Who is it that constitute the majority of the population in a country? Is it the clever folk, or the stupid? I don't imagine you will dispute the fact that at present the stupid people are in an absolutely overwhelming majority all the world over.
Henrik IbsenRead
I believe that before anything else I'm a human being -- just as much as you are... or at any rate I shall try to become one. I know quite well that most people would agree with you, Torvald, and that you have warrant for it in books; but I can't be satisfied any longer with what most people say, and with what's in books. I must think things out for myself and try to understand them.
Henrik IbsenRead
Ah, I fancy it is just the same with most of what you call your emancipation. You have read yourself into a number of new ideas and opinions. You have got a sort of smattering of recent discoveries in various fields - discoveries that seem to overthrow certain principles which have hitherto been held impregnable and unassailable. But all this has only been a matter of intellect, Miss West - superficial acquisition. It has not passed into your blood.
Henrik IbsenRead
One should never put on one's best trousers to go out to fight for freedom.
Henrik IbsenRead
It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.
Henrik IbsenRead
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