John Acton

By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes is his duty read more

By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes is his duty against the influence of authority and majorities, custom and opinion.

By a series of violent shocks, the nations in succession have struggled to shake off the Past, to reverse the read more

By a series of violent shocks, the nations in succession have struggled to shake off the Past, to reverse the action of Time and the verdict of success, and to rescue the world from the reign of the dead.

The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it read more

The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it makes between these opposite principles, absolute power on the one hand, and on the other the restraints of legality and the authority of tradition.

If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest read more

If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest emancipation.

History provides neither compensation for suffering nor penalties for wrong.

History provides neither compensation for suffering nor penalties for wrong.