The Literature Network - Simon Carr's column: When it comes to political quotes, cynics have the last word

Simon Carr's column: When it comes to political quotes, cynics have the last word

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From: The Independent - London
Date: 20020520
Author:Simon Carr

AFTER THE bar-code fiasco, a number of designers came up with alternatives for the European flag. One design showed Jean-Jacques Rousseau's profile, on the ground that Rousseau was, in some sense, the father of Europe.

Rousseau's romantic-but-wrong opening to The Social Contract ("Man is born free but everywhere is in chains...") leads into murky waters as he develops the "general will" that was to run society. Liberte, egalite and fraternite were compulsory. An early version of the slogan ended in "...or death!", that is: "Be free, equal and brotherly or we'll cut off your head". Such an ...

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