People unfit for freedom - who cannot do much with it - are hungry for power. The desire for freedom read more

People unfit for freedom - who cannot do much with it - are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of a "have" type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities. The desire for power is basically an attribute of a "have not" type of self.

Anyone that wants the presidency so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to read more

Anyone that wants the presidency so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office.

Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est."
Latin: "A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's read more

Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est."
Latin: "A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Letters to Lucilius.

Government is beating into submission, imprisoning, and killing...The authority of man-made law is entirely due to weapons of the constables read more

Government is beating into submission, imprisoning, and killing...The authority of man-made law is entirely due to weapons of the constables who enforce obedience to its provisions.

Any excuse will serve a tyrant.

Any excuse will serve a tyrant.

Discontent does not invariably create a desire for change. Other factors have to be present before discontent turns into disaffection. read more

Discontent does not invariably create a desire for change. Other factors have to be present before discontent turns into disaffection. One of these is a sense of power.

How much a dunce that has been sent to roam, excels a dunce that has been kept at home.

How much a dunce that has been sent to roam, excels a dunce that has been kept at home.

China has no income tax, no unemployment and not a single soldier outside its borders.

China has no income tax, no unemployment and not a single soldier outside its borders.

Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural read more

Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural inducement. The less of one, the more of the others. The degree of freedom that is possible is therefore tied to the extent to which people respond to persuasion or inducement.