No man has any natural authority over his fellow men.

Hear, O children of liberty, the fiery words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “No man has any natural authority over his fellow men.” In this utterance lies the seed of revolution, the cry of the spirit against the chains of tyranny. Rousseau, who gazed with sorrow upon the corruption of kings and the misery of the poor, declared with unshakable clarity that domination is not written in the heavens nor carved into the marrow of man. Authority may be seized by force or granted by agreement, but it is never born in nature.

The meaning is thunderous: no one enters this world with a crown upon his head or shackles upon his wrists. The infant born in a palace is no more noble than the infant born in a hut; the blood of king and beggar alike is red. Authority does not flow from birth, nor from divine decree, but from human convention, from the contracts and covenants that peoples willingly form. To forget this is to allow power to masquerade as destiny, and tyranny to disguise itself as order.

Consider the long night of feudal Europe, when lords ruled by inheritance and peasants bowed by custom. It was said that God Himself had placed the noble above the commoner. Yet when the French Revolution came, the people rose in fury, chanting Rousseau’s words in their hearts, if not on their lips. Kings and queens who claimed divine right were overthrown, not because the people suddenly grew stronger, but because they remembered that no man is born master, and no man is born slave.

This truth was not new in Rousseau’s day, for history had already shown glimpses of it. The ancient Athenians, though imperfect, built their democracy upon the principle that authority should come from the voice of the citizens, not the blood of the rulers. In Rome, the republic arose when Tarquin the Proud was cast out, for his people would no longer bow to the arrogance of kings. Rousseau stood in this lineage, yet gave it new life, calling upon men to see their natural equality as the foundation of a just society.

And yet, he was not naïve. He knew that men often surrender their freedom willingly, seduced by comfort or security. He warned that chains are forged not only by tyrants but by the apathy of the people themselves. For when men forget that authority must be justified, they allow power to grow unchecked until it devours their liberty. Thus, Rousseau’s words are both declaration and warning: equality is natural, but oppression is ever eager to disguise itself as law.

The lesson for us, O listener, is profound. Never accept authority merely because it exists. Ask always: by what right does this power rule? If it serves the common good, if it arises from the consent of the governed, then it may stand. But if it is upheld only by fear, tradition, or naked force, it is no true authority at all. To live in freedom is to remember this truth and to act upon it.

Therefore, let your actions be guided by vigilance. In your homes, in your communities, in your nations, do not yield to those who would claim mastery by birth, wealth, or violence. Support leaders who serve, not tyrants who demand. And in your own life, guard against the temptation to dominate others, remembering that you too were not born with any natural right to rule. For the covenant of humanity is equality, and only when we honor it can we walk together in dignity and peace.