From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict which each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time.
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Discontent is likely to be highest when misery is bearable; when conditions have so improved that an ideal state seems read more
Discontent is likely to be highest when misery is bearable; when conditions have so improved that an ideal state seems almost within reach. A grievance is most poignant when almost redressed. De Tocqueville in his researches into the state of society in France before the revolution was struck by the discovery that "in no one of the periods which have followed the Revolution of 1789 has the national prosperity of France augmented more rapidly than it did in the twenty years preceding that event." He is forced to conclude that "the French found their position the more intolerable the better it became.
Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical read more
Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical fears and hopes.
There is no such thing as a nonpolitical speech by a politician.
There is no such thing as a nonpolitical speech by a politician.
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Demagogue: one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
Demagogue: one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
..the Bill of Rights does not come from the people and is not subject to change by majorities. It comes read more
..the Bill of Rights does not come from the people and is not subject to change by majorities. It comes from the nature of things. It declares the inalienable rights of man not only against all government but also against the people collectively.
Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and read more
Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness.
I've been to war, and it's not easy to kill. It's bloody and messy and totally horrifying, and the consequences read more
I've been to war, and it's not easy to kill. It's bloody and messy and totally horrifying, and the consequences are serious.
The correct strategy for Americans negotiating with Japanese or other foreign clients is a Japanese strategy: ask questions. When you read more
The correct strategy for Americans negotiating with Japanese or other foreign clients is a Japanese strategy: ask questions. When you think you understand, ask more questions. Carefully feel for pressure points. If an impasse is reached, don't pressure. Suggest a recess or another meeting.
