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The Lefortian reading of the Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, which was published in 1976 as part of an influential reissue of this classic of humanism, represents a significant contribution both to the Lefortian corpus and to the literature on Étienne de La Boétie. Drawing on the hermeneutical practice developed by Claude Lefort, this article first examines the ways in which the text of La Boétie was reshaped through its reception, from the 16th century up to the inflection point of the 1960s-1970s, which can be dubbed a “Laboetian moment” as it is marked by a multiplicity of contradictory appropriations of La Boétie’s text and concept. After contextualising Lefort’s reading within this moment and within his own itinerary, the next step is to account for the singularity of Lefort’s reading compared to his contemporaries and his predecessors. Through his attention to La Boétie’s philosophical language, Lefort explores the persistent untimeliness of this classic of humanist political thought.