William Shakespeare - George Eliot - George R R Martin - A E Housman - Cecil Spring Rice - Numbers 30:2&3 - Judges 11:30&31 - I Samuel 1:11 - II Samuel 15:7 - Ecclesiastes 5:4&5 - The Vow TV - Ethel Lilian Voynich -
By all the vows that ever men have broke –
In number more than ever women spoke. William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream I i 175-176, Hermia to Lysander
It is religion that doth make vows kept. William Shakespeare, King John III i 205
I am falser than vows made in wine. As You Like It, Globe Theatre Sky Arts 2012, Rosalind
Riotous madness,
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows
Which break themselves in swearing. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra I iii 29-31, Cleopatra
Men’s vows are women’s traitors. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline III iv 54, Innogen
The desires which tend to break it are at work in him dimly, and make their way into his imagination, and relax his muscles in the very moments when he is telling himself over again the reasons for his vow. George Eliot, Middlemarch
Men are men, vows are words, and words are wind. George R R Martin, A Dance with Dragons
There, when hueless is the west
And the darkness hushes wide,
Where the lad lies down to rest
Stands the troubled dream beside.
There, on thoughts that once were mine,
Day looks down the eastern steep,
And the youth at morning shine
Makes the vow he will not keep. A E Housman, A Shropshire Lad
I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love. Cecil Spring Rice
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth. Numbers 30:2&3
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. Judges 11:30-31
And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. I Samuel 1:11
And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron. II Samuel 15:7
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Ecclesiastes 5:4&5
Nxivm’s Keith Raniere Convicted in Trial Exposing Sex Cult’s Inner Workings: Mr Raniere set up a harem of sexual ‘slaves’ who were branded with his initials and kept in line by blackmail. The Vow s1e1: The Science of Joy, The New York Times online headline, Sky Documetaries 2020
Rational Inquiry: An extraordinary resource that can change your life: ‘Knowing what to do is useless without the emotional strength to do what you know’. ibid. Instruction manual and quote from Raniere
I felt like I was soaring, it was almost like magic, I felt like I was getting downloaded a book of knowledge, about people, about society, about the world in general – I really felt like I had this secret potion of understanding. ibid. Sarah Edmondson
The Stripe Path is the term we use for the ranking system – for sashes; it represented you moving up within the company. ibid.
Here were people who were really enjoying themselves and working on their internal world. ibid. Bonnie Piesse
And that company was teaching ethics and human potential and professional development. ibid. Sarah
There’s a lot of things I’m starting to see about the organization that’s not right. ibid. Bonnie
The way the system is, they tend to go after their enemies or anyone who leaves. There’s no good way to leave ever. The Vow s1e2: Viscera, Bonnie
Once you’ve broken the spell and you see through it, you can’t go back from that. ibid.
We were all running on no sleep, and even as you’re working 23 hours a day you’re getting feedback of, Oh why can’t you get more. ibid.
Your life should be a life of discomfort if you want to grow. ibid. organisation #2
And she said, she’s been part of this group, and it’s only women, and it’s secret … ibid. victim
There’s a group of women that have signed a vow. They have given things as collateral. They’re under strict orders about how much they can eat. And they’re trying to recruit other women to do this. ibid. Mark
Somebody raised the concept of branding. The Vow s1e3: At Cause, testimony
Well I would joke, well if this is a cult, as in a group of people who have a similar mindset or beliefs, it’s a cult of happy successful people, so what’s the problem? ibid. Sarah
She came back and gave me a blindfold. I could feel like there were other people around me … I don’t want to do this … I’m naked. Help me … I don’t want this thing [branding] on my body. ibid.
There are so many women that have left that look the same – they’re skinny, they’re young, they’re pretty – and they will not say anything because they are scared. ibid. victim
A whole different level of, What the fuck! I decided to start calling people and getting them out. And part of that was to ensure there were no more branding sessions. The Vow s1e4: Building Character, Sarah
There’s a secret organisation within NIXVM. It’s a supposed sisterhood. They sign a lifetime vow of obedience. And they have to provide blackmail that would compromise them or their families, and they’re branding girls. ibid. victim
I wanted to believe. And it just comes down to that. I wanted to believe he was good. ibid.
I decided to tell Frank about the branding. It was pretty terrifying … A vigilante on a mission … You have fucked with the wrong person. The Vow s1e5: Class 1 data, Sarah
Sarah on dog-n-bone: I’m more concerned about where the destruction is actually happening …’ ibid.
Jim of NXIVM: … You can’t get out of it that way. ibid.
There is no good way to leave this organisation. They usually harass you. ibid. Mark
You really think they’re all brainwashed? ibid. Keith to Mark on dog-n-bone
The World’s Strangest Executive: Keith Raniere’s rich and famous clients pay thousands of dollars, bow and call him ‘Vanguard’. ibid. Forbes front page
Keith: All of the accusations against us are not true.
Dalai Lama: You must prove that now. ibid.
I have Class 1 data. It’s on my body and you can’t deny it. ibid. Sarah
How extraordinarily vulnerable we are as people. And even people who on the surface are bright, are capable, talented, successful in many ways, have this intense vulnerability, and this vulnerability is available for someone to exploit. ibid. The New York Times reporter
Oh my God; I love that it rode the Harvey Weinstein coattails. The Vow s1e6: Honesty & Disclosure, victims
Holy shit, the whole world know … Now that I’m out and I’m looking at the people who still in, they just look crazy. ibid. Sarah’s radio interview
Technically, it was the women: it was the women who pinned me down, it was the women who scarred me, it was the women who did the manipulation, but it was under the direction of a man. ibid. Sarah
What is the use of vows? They are not what binds people. If you feel in a certain way about a thing, that binds you to it. Ethel Lilian Voynich