Great men are almost always bad men.
Lord ActonRead
Liberty is the harmony between the will and the law.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Liberty is achieved when personal desires align with legal frameworks.
This quote by Lord Acton emphasizes the concept of liberty as a state where an individual's will is in agreement with the laws governing society. True freedom is not merely the absence of constraints, but rather a condition where one's personal intentions and the established legal order coexist harmoniously, allowing for a balanced and just society.
Themes
LibertyLawFreedomWillHarmony
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about civil rights, one might use this quote to underscore the importance of aligning personal freedoms with societal laws.
More from Lord Acton
All quotes βSave for the wild force of Nature, nothing moves in this world that is not Greek in its origin.
Lord ActonRead
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Lord ActonRead
Liberty and good government do not exclude each other; and there are excellent reasons why they should go together. Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
Lord ActonRead
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. ~ Every class is unfit to govern ... Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.
Lord ActonRead
Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited.
Lord ActonRead
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