Great men are almost always bad men.
Lord ActonRead
Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Liberty is achieved by preventing others from exerting control over us, which necessitates self-discipline and a foundation of education and spirituality.
This quote by Lord Acton suggests that true liberty involves not only freedom from external control but also the inner strength of self-control. It highlights the importance of education, spiritual influences, and overall well-being as vital components that empower individuals to maintain their freedom without succumbing to tyranny or oppression. Therefore, being educated and spiritually aware is essential for ensuring one's liberty and the liberties of others.
Themes
LibertyFreedomSelf-ControlEducationSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of personal responsibility in achieving freedom.
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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Liberty without discipline cannot survive. Without order and authority in the spirit of man the free way of life leads through weakness, disorganization, self-indulgence, and moral indifference to the destruction of freedom itself. The tragic ordeal through which the Western world is passing was prepared in the long period of easy liberty during which men forgot the elementary truths of human existence. They forgot that their freedom was achieved by heroic sacrifice.
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