16 quotes
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes his duty against the influence of authority and majorities, custom and opinion.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
No obstacle has been so constant, or so difficult to overcome, as uncertainty and confusion touching the nature of true liberty.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
A generous spirit prefers that his country should be poor, and weak, and of no account, but free, rather than powerful, prosperous, and enslaved.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
Before God, there is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither rich nor poor; and the slave is as good as his master, for by birth all men are free; they are citizens of that universal commonwealth which embraces all the world, brethren of one family, and children of God.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
The great question is, to discover not what governments prescribe, but what they ought to prescribe; for no prescription is valid against the conscience of mankind.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
The poorest classes were exempt from direct taxes, but were excluded from office. Solon gave them a voice in electing magistrates from the classes above them, and the right of calling them to account.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the common pretext of crime, from the sowing of the seed at Athens, two thousand four hundred and sixty years ago, until the ripened harvest was gathered by men of our race.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
According to the common opinion indirect elections are a safeguard of conservatism. But all the Assemblies of the French Revolution issued from indirect elections.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority. For there is a reserve of latent power in the masses which, if it is called into play, the minority can seldom resist.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
In every age its [liberty's] progress has been beset by its natural enemies, by ignorance and superstition, by lust of conquest and by love of ease, by the strong man's craving for power, and the poor man's craving for food.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
The history of institutions is often a history of deception and illusions; for their virtue depends on the ideas that produce and on the spirit that preserves them, and the form may remain unaltered when the substance has passed away.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare, and its triumphs have been due to minorities, that have prevailed by associating themselves with auxiliaries whose objects often differed from their own; and this association, which is always dangerous, has been sometimes disastrous, by giving to opponents just grounds of opposition, and by kindling dispute over the spoils in the hour of success.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
Where the division of property and labour is incomplete there is little division of classes and of power. Until societies are tried by the complex problems of civilisation they may escape despotism, as societies that are undisturbed by religious diversity avoid persecution.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)
[W]e are not so much concerned this evening with the dead letter of edicts and of statutes as with the living thoughts of men.
The History of Freedom in Antiquity (1877)