#despot

Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. ↗

— Abraham Lincoln

#defense #despotism #destroy #doors #everywhere

A good constitution is infinitely better than the best despot. ↗

— Thomas B. Macaulay

#better #constitution #despot #good #infinitely

Man is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not. People complain of the despotism of princes; they ought to complain of the despotism of man. ↗

— Joseph de Maistre

#complain #desires #despotism #discontented #his

Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called and whether it professes to be enforcing the will of God or the injunctions of men. ↗

— John Stuart Mill

#crushes #despotism #enforcing #god #individuality

Democracy passes into despotism. ↗

— Plato

#despotism #into #passes

There are three species of government: republican, monarchical, and despotic. ↗

— Charles de Secondat

#despotic #monarchical #republican #species #three

Despotism increases in severity with the number of despots; the responsibility is more divided, and the claims are more numerous. ↗

— William Wells Brown

#despotism #despots #divided #increases #more

As a nation, we began by declaring that 'all men are created equal.' We now practically read it 'all men are created equal, except negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy. ↗

— Abraham Lincoln

#bigotry #despotism #equality #hypocrisy #know-nothings

Despots prefer the friendship of the dog, who, unjustly mistreated and debased, still loves and serves the man who wronged him. ↗

— Charles Fourier

#government #liberty #poltics #tyrants #friendship

Freedom of conscience entails more dangers than authority and despotism. ↗

— Michel Foucault

#conscience #dangers #despotism #entails #freedom