Auberon Herbert, (1838-1906) English writer, theorist, philosopher, 19th century individualist, member of the Parliament of the U.K. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-13] of 13 Auberon Herbert quotesAuberon Herbert QuotesAuberon Herbert We hold that what one man cannot morally do, a million men cannot morally do, and government, representing many millions of men, cannot do.~ Auberon Herbert The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want to do, in order to please and satisfy the other part of the nation. It is the prolonged sacrifice of the rights of some persons at the bidding and for the satisfaction of other persons. The ruling idea of the politician - stated rather bluntly - is that those who are opposed to him exist for the purpose of being made to serve his ends, if he can get power enough in his hands to force these ends upon them.~ Auberon Herbert And what sort of philosophical doctrine is this -- that numbers confer unlimited rights, that they take from some persons all rights over themselves, and vest these rights in others. ... How, then, can the rights of three men exceed the rights of two men? In what possible way can the rights of three men absorb the rights of two men, and make them as if they had never existed. ... It is not possible to suppose, without absurdity, that a man should have no rights over his own body and mind, and yet have a 1/10,000,000th share in unlimited rights over all other bodies and minds?~ Auberon Herbert How should it happen that the individual should be without rights, but the combination of individuals should possess unlimited rights?~ Auberon Herbert Force and reason -- which last is the essence of the moral act -- are at the two opposite poles. The one who compels his neighbor... treats him, not as a being with reason, but as an animal in whom reason is not.~ Auberon Herbert If we cannot learn, if the only effect upon us of the presence of the dynamiter in our midst is to make us multiply punishments, invent restrictions, increase the number of our official spies, forbid public meetings, interfere with the press, put up gratings -- as in one country they propose to do -- in our House of Commons, scrutinize visitors under official microscopes, request them, as at Vienna, and I think now at Paris also, to be good enough to leave their greatcoats in the vestibules ... I venture to prophesy that there lies before us a bitter and an evil time.~ Auberon Herbert True liberty cannot exist apart from the full rights of property, for property is the only crystallized form of free faculties...The whole meaning of socialism is a systematic glorification of force... No literary phrases about social organisms are potent enough to evaporate the individual, who is the prime, indispensable, irreducible element.~ Auberon Herbert Politics must be the battle of the principles... the principle of liberty against the principle of force.~ Auberon Herbert If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today to assume the impossibility of our providing for ourselves.~ Auberon Herbert Socialism is but Catholicism addressing itself not to the soul but to the sense of men... [Both implore you to] accept authority, accept the force which it employs, resign yourself to all-powerful managers, give up the free choice and the free act... They both seek to sacrifice man.~ Auberon Herbert ... every tax or rate, forcibly taken from an unwilling person, is immoral and oppressive.~ Auberon Herbert It is not laissez-faire that has failed. That would be an ill day for men. What has failed is the courage to see what is true and speak it to the people, to point to the true remedies.~ Auberon Herbert [Socialism] is a creed even more denigrating than Catholicism, but it offers more tangible bribes for its acceptance.~ Auberon Herbert Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print