The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that accrues to society's advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.
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It is not conclusive proof of a doctrine's correctness that its adversaries use the police, the hangman, and violent mobs read more
It is not conclusive proof of a doctrine's correctness that its adversaries use the police, the hangman, and violent mobs to fight it. But it is a proof of the fact that those taking recourse to violent oppression are in their subconsciousness convinced of the untenability of their own doctrines.
Liberty is an opportunity for doing good, but this is only so when it is also an opportunity for doing read more
Liberty is an opportunity for doing good, but this is only so when it is also an opportunity for doing wrong.
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with read more
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Beyond the Horizon, 1942.
CAPITAL, n. The seat of misgovernment. That which provides the fire, the pot, the dinner, the table and the knife read more
CAPITAL, n. The seat of misgovernment. That which provides the fire, the pot, the dinner, the table and the knife and fork for the anarchist; the part of the repast that himself supplies is the disgrace before meat.
The profoundest truth of war is that the issue of battle is usually decided in the minds of the opposing read more
The profoundest truth of war is that the issue of battle is usually decided in the minds of the opposing commanders, not in the bodies of their men.
I met someone on the street who said wasn't it great that we're going to have a movie star for read more
I met someone on the street who said wasn't it great that we're going to have a movie star for president, that it was so Pop, and (laughs) when you think about it like that, it is great, it's so American.
While technically I did not commit a crime, an impeachable offense... these are legalisms, as far as the handling of read more
While technically I did not commit a crime, an impeachable offense... these are legalisms, as far as the handling of this matter is concerned; it was so botched up, I made so many bad judgments. The worst ones, mistakes of the heart, rather than the head. But let me say, a man in that top job - he's got to have a heart, but his head must always rule his heart.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
This I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. read more
This I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.
