Lord Acton Quotes

Where the law ends tyranny begins.

The love of power and the love of liberty are in eternal antagonism.

Force and right are the governors of this world; force till right is ready.

It is the rule of law alone which hinders the rulers from turning themselves into the worst gangsters.

Conquerors never, never conquer a nation to bring freedom. They brought control.

Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.

Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.

It is not good to have a rule of many.

Dictators and oppressors should continue to fear me because I will be here for a long time.

Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.

The world is full of little dictators trying to run your life.

Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid.

They have the ability to take a person's freedom from them. On certain situations, they have the ability to take a person's reputation. And under certain circumstances, they have the authority to take a person's life.

God himself has no right to be a tyrant.

When there is state there can be no freedom, but when there is freedom there will be no state.

Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.

Power is an instrument of fatal consequence. It is confined no more readily than quicksilver, and escapes good intentions as easily as air flows through mesh.

I would not like a king who could obey.

Power tends to get confused with repression.

It is from weakness that people reach for dictators and concentrated government power. Only the strong can be free. And only the productive can be strong.

Better a hundred years of tyranny than one day of anarchy.

No one can go on being a rebel too long without becoming an autocrat.

Between the people and their enemies there can be nothing in common but the sword; we must govern by iron those who cannot be governed by justice; we must oppress the tyrant...

It is right that what is just should be obeyed; it is necessary that what is strongest should be obeyed. Justice without might is helpless; might without justice is tyrannical.

Many people say that government is necessary because some men cannot be trusted to look after themselves, but anarchists say that government is harmful because no men can be trusted to look after anyone else.