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This is Ally’s tattoo from On the Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau:

I first saw the quote when I was about 14 or 15; it stayed with me for a long time.  Nine years down the road, when I finally made up my mind to get my first tattoo, I decided on this quote because I agreed with the sentiment completely. Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains – we are all bound by something beyond our control.

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“The Greeks who were locked up in the Cyclops’ cave lived a tranquil existence as they awaited their turn to be devoured.”

- Rousseau, On the Social Contract, ch. IV “On Slavery”

(source)

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  • Welcome to Contrariwise

    This is a website about literary tattoos. That is, tattoos based on books, poems, lyrics, and many other literary sources.

    My email address is jen@contrariwise.org, so send your comments / suggestions / praise / hate that way. If you want to submit your own tattoo (please do!), see this page.