Walter Savage Landor Quotes

Europeans have sometimes been beguiled by a despotism that comes concealed in the seductive form of an ideal – as it did in the cases of Hitler and Stalin. This fact may remind us that the possibility of despotism is remote neither in space nor in time.

Despotism has so often been established in the name of liberty that experience should warn us to judge parties by their practices rather than their preachings.

Every one of the world's dictatorships can and does claim to be acting in the name of the people.

Oppressive government is more terrible than tigers.

In domestic as in political tyranny, the case of absolute monsters chiefly illustrates the institution by showing that there is scarcely any horror which may not occur under it if the despot pleases

I am inclined to believe dictators. Not to is dangerous.

Fear must rule in a despotism.

A democratic despotism is like a theocracy: it assumes its own correctness.

If you took the most ardent revolutionary, vested him in absolute power, within a year he would be worse than the Tsar himself.

No one is ever better off with dictators but there comes a time you know, when you're on an airplane, they always say, "in case of an emergency oxygen masks will drop down. Put yours on first and then administer help to your neighbor." We need oxygen right now.

Audacity is the currency for authoritarians.

Despotism is unjust to everybody, including the despot, who was probably made for better things.

Any excuse will serve a tyrant.

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

Enlightened despots are mythical creatures; real despots seem more interested in stealing money or installing their sons after them.

A collective tyrant, spread over the length and breadth of the land, is no more acceptable than a single tyrant ensconced on his throne.

The more complete the despotism, the more smoothly all things move on the surface.

Every tyrant who has lived has believed in freedom for himself.

To assume all the powers is not good for anybody. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. All those experiments have a bad ending.

This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.

Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who cannot be trusted to change.

I grew up in the shadow of the Trujillato, saw how the regime had ravaged so many families.

In order to have the stuff of a tyrant, a certain mental derangement is necessary.

Brutal men with unlimited power are the same all over the world.

Despotism isn't nearly as bad as it's cracked up to be.