Nicolas Chamfort Quote

Nearly all men are slaves for the same reason that the Spartans assigned for the servitude of the Persians -- lack of power to pronounce the syllable, "No." To be able to utter that word and live alone, are the only means to preserve one's freedom and one's character.

The Cynic's Breviary: Maxims and Anecdotes from Nicolas de Chamfort (ed. 1902)