Thereisbutonelawwhich，fromitsnature，needsunanimousconsent。
Thisisthesocialcompact;forcivilassociationisthemostvoluntaryofallacts。Everymanbeingbornfreeandhisownmaster，noone，underanypretextwhatsoever，canmakeanymansubjectwithouthisconsent。Todecidethatthesonofaslaveisbornaslaveistodecidethatheisnotbornaman。
Ifthenthereareopponentswhenthesocialcompactismade，theiroppositiondoesnotinvalidatethecontract，butmerelypreventsthemfrombeingincludedinit。Theyareforeignersamongcitizens。WhentheStateisinstituted，residenceconstitutesconsent;todwellwithinitsterritoryistosubmittotheSovereign。34
Apartfromthisprimitivecontract，thevoteofthemajorityalwaysbindsalltherest。Thisfollowsfromthecontractitself。Butitisaskedhowamancanbebothfreeandforcedtoconformtowillsthatarenothisown。Howaretheopponentsatoncefreeandsubjecttolawstheyhavenotagreedto？
Iretortthatthequestioniswronglyput。Thecitizengiveshisconsenttoallthelaws，includingthosewhicharepassedinspiteofhisopposition，andeventhosewhichpunishhimwhenhedarestobreakanyofthem。TheconstantwillofallthemembersoftheStateisthegeneralwill;byvirtueofittheyarecitizensandfree。35Wheninthepopularassemblyalawisproposed，whatthepeopleisaskedisnotexactlywhetheritapprovesorrejectstheproposal，butwhetheritisinconformitywiththegeneralwill，whichistheirwill。Eachman，ingivinghisvote，stateshisopiniononthatpoint;andthegeneralwillisfoundbycountingvotes。Whenthereforetheopinionthatiscontrarytomyownprevails，thisprovesneithermorenorlessthanthatIwasmistaken，andthatwhatIthoughttobethegeneralwillwasnotso。IfmyparticularopinionhadcarriedthedayIshouldhaveachievedtheoppositeofwhatwasmywill;anditisinthatcasethatIshouldnothavebeenfree。