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Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.
Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.
The conception that government should be guided by majority opinion makes sense only if that opinion is independent of government. read more
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.
Darkness yields to
starlight,
to the light of the rising
sun, and to the
light of the soul.
Darkness yields to
starlight,
to the light of the rising
sun, and to the
light of the soul.
What the public does is not to express its opinions but to align itself for or against a proposal. If read more
What the public does is not to express its opinions but to align itself for or against a proposal. If that theory is accepted, we must abandon the notion that democratic government can be the direct expression of the will of the people. We must abandon the notion that the people govern. Instead we must adopt the theory that, by their occasional mobilizations as a majority, people support or oppose the individuals who actually govern. We must say that the popular will does not direct continuously but that it intervenes occasionally.
Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in read more
Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process.
I shall return.
I shall return.
The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments. The state can be and read more
The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster.
The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.
The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.
All I ask is equal freedom. When it is denied, as it always is, I take it anyhow.
All I ask is equal freedom. When it is denied, as it always is, I take it anyhow.
