“Force is no right, and man is only obliged to submit to legitimate powers.”Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Contractul social · 1762 · Cartea I, capitolul 3
Whoever can force you gains no right over you by that.
The sentence dismantles the argument of the strong: if someone can force me, it does not follow that he is right or that I owe him obedience in conscience. If force made right, we would owe submission to whoever happens to be stronger, which is absurd. Obligation comes from legitimate agreement, not fear. A concrete example: a robber with a gun can take my wallet, but he has no right over it.
Why it matters Useful for distinguishing between submitting out of fear and accepting an authority as legitimate, in politics or at work.