Who really said it
Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem (1963)
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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“Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience” — Erich Fromm, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” (first published 1963); wording checked in a teaching transcription.
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Evoking the world of Erich Fromm — 1900–1980. Theme: "Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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human history began with an act of disobedience Short excerpt
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Context
Fromm reads the stories of Adam and Eve and Prometheus as myths about independence achieved through disobedience. He then turns to the Atomic Age: obedience to orders could enable humanity’s destruction. The essay also explicitly rejects the idea that all disobedience is good or all obedience bad.
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The opening contains the sentence; subsequent paragraphs discuss Hebrew and Greek myths, nuclear destruction and the qualification about obedience.
Transcribes the wording and identifies the containing essay or book; a secondary quotation reference, not an original scan.
Biographical reference documents Fromm’s dates, psychoanalytic work and association with the Frankfurt School.
Archive index places Fromm’s writings on social psychology, Marxism and human nature together; it does not independently date this essay.
Catalogue p.83 identifies the essay in Clara Urquart’s A Matter of Life, London: Jonathan Cape, 1963, pp.97–105; bibliographic evidence, not a scan of those pages.
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Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem. 1963.
Quotle.info. Who really said 'Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience'? Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/human-history-began-with-an-act-of-disobedience-and-it-is/