Despots play their part in the works of thinkers. Fettered words are terrible words. The writer doubles and trebles the power of his writing when a ruler imposes silence on the people. Something emerges from that enforced silence, a mysterious fullness which filters through and becomes steely in the thought. Repression in history leads to conciseness in the historian, and the rocklike hardness of much celebrated prose is due to the tempering of the tyrant.

Summary

This quote suggests that despotic rulers inadvertently contribute to the work of intellectuals and thinkers. When rulers try to suppress free speech, it makes the words and ideas even more powerful. The silence imposed by the ruler allows for a hidden richness and depth to emerge within the thoughts and writings of the people. The repression in history leads to a concise writing style for historians, and the firmness and strength of their prose is a result of enduring the challenges posed by the tyrant.

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