Nothing is quite so wretchedly corrupt as an aristocracy which has lost its power but kept its wealth and which still has endless leisure to devote to nothing but banal enjoyments. All its great thoughts and passionate energy are things of the past, and nothing but a host of petty, gnawing vices now cling to it like worms to a corpse.
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The essence of democracy is not that everyone makes and administers laws but that lawgivers and rulers should be dependent read more
The essence of democracy is not that everyone makes and administers laws but that lawgivers and rulers should be dependent on the people's will in such a way that they may be peaceably changed if conflict occurs.
The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will read more
The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.
From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be read more
From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict which each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time.
The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small read more
The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime read more
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime can be prevented, which is almost as dubious as the notion that poverty can be prevented.
I think most historians will agree that the part played by impulses of selfish, individual aggression in the holocausts of read more
I think most historians will agree that the part played by impulses of selfish, individual aggression in the holocausts of history was small; first and foremost, the slaughter was meant as an offering to the gods, to king and country, or the future happiness of mankind. The crimes of Caligula shrink to insignificance compared to the havoc wrought by Torquemada. The number of victims of robbers, highwaymen, rapists, gangsters and other criminals at any period of history is negligible compared to the massive numbers of those cheerfully slain in the name of the true religion, just policy, or correct ideology.
Perhaps America will one day go fascist democratically, by popular vote.
Perhaps America will one day go fascist democratically, by popular vote.
It's a sad and stupid thing to have to proclaim yourself a revolutionary just to be a decent man.
It's a sad and stupid thing to have to proclaim yourself a revolutionary just to be a decent man.
A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of read more
A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life.
