John Winthrop Quotes
A liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest.
Winthrop, John. The History of New England from 1630 to 1649. Edited by James Savage, vol. 2, Little, Brown and Company, 1853, p. 281.
The great fallacy of course is who decides what is right. What is noteworthy is that this political and philosophical view of liberty still exists in much of the world today. There is no need for rights or constitutions to protect people if they do things that are “right”. It is only when we do something that the authorities or the majority think is “wrong” that we need the protection of rights and constitutions.
This is one of the proverbs of King Solomon of the Jews, son of King David.
John Winthrop was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of colonists from England in 1630 and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years. His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" dominated New England colonial development, influencing the governments and religions of neighboring colonies.
