John Acton

The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it read more

The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it makes between these opposite principles, absolute power on the one hand, and on the other the restraints of legality and the authority of tradition.

If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest read more

If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest emancipation.

By a series of violent shocks, the nations in succession have struggled to shake off the Past, to reverse the read more

By a series of violent shocks, the nations in succession have struggled to shake off the Past, to reverse the action of Time and the verdict of success, and to rescue the world from the reign of the dead.

Save for the wild force of Nature, nothing moves in this world that is not Greek in its origin.

Save for the wild force of Nature, nothing moves in this world that is not Greek in its origin.

Far from being the product of a democratic revolution and of an opposition to English institutions, the constitution of the read more

Far from being the product of a democratic revolution and of an opposition to English institutions, the constitution of the United States was the result of a powerful reaction against democracy, and in favor of the traditions of the mother country.