The conception that government should be guided by majority opinion makes sense only if that opinion is independent of government. The ideal of democracy rests on the belief that the view which will direct government emerges from an independent and spontaneous process. It requires, therefore, the existence of a large sphere independent of majority control in which the opinions of the individuals are formed.
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Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies.
A little government and a little luck are necessary in life; but only a fool trusts either of them.
A little government and a little luck are necessary in life; but only a fool trusts either of them.
What doth it profit a man if he gains the who world and loses his own soul?
What doth it profit a man if he gains the who world and loses his own soul?
Peace is liberty in tranquillity.
Peace is liberty in tranquillity.
The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, read more
The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.
Nobody is equal to anybody. Even the same man is not equal to himself on different days.
Nobody is equal to anybody. Even the same man is not equal to himself on different days.
Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the read more
Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep.
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.
Property is a central economic institution of any society, and private property is the central institution of a free society.
Property is a central economic institution of any society, and private property is the central institution of a free society.
