Anthony Trollope Quotes

Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.

The being cannot be termed rational or virtuous, who obeys any authority, but that of reason.

There are good reasons for being obedient, but being unable to be disobedient is not one of the best reasons.

There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey.

When you grow up your mother says, 'Wear rubbers or you'll catch cold.' When you become an adult you discover that you have the right not to wear rubbers and to see if you catch cold or not. It's something like that.

So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do.

Obedience is detachment from the self. This is the most radical detachment of all. But what is the self? The self is the principle of reason and responsibility in us. It is the root of freedom, it is what makes us men.

The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap.

I can't imagine people telling me what to do - I just can't imagine it.

Not only the entire ability to think rests on language... but language is also the crux of the misunderstanding of reason with itself.

Surely there is a time to submit to guidance and a time to take one's own way at all hazards.

Now that I look back, I realize that a life predicated on being obedient and taking orders is a very comfortable life indeed. Living in such a way reduces to a minimum one's need to think.

Such a faith would be fatal to my reason, to my liberty, and even to the success of my undertakings; it would immediately transform me into a stupid slave, an instrument of the will and interests of others.

Rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own.

Being a teenager is chaotic because you're kind of coming into your own, but you're not an adult; you're fighting with your parents over responsibilities and freedom.

I've never reacted well to other people telling me what to do.

He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; and he that dares not reason is a slave.

I call him free who is led solely by reason.

The public use of a man's reason must be free at all times…. But I hear people clamor on all sides: Don't argue! The military officer says: Don't argue, drill! The tax collector: Don't argue, pay! The minister: Don't argue, believe!

Why demand explanations? ... Explanations will hazard an encroachment upon the prerogative.

Liberty belongs only to those who have the gift of reason.

All that is required for this enlightenment is freedom; and particularly the least harmful of all that may be called freedom, namely, the freedom for man to make public use of his reason in all matters. But I hear people clamor on all sides: Don't argue! The officer says: Don't argue, drill! The tax collector: Don't argue, pay! The pastor: Don't argue, believe! The public use of a man's reason must be free at all times, and this alone can bring enlightenment among men...

Have no respect whatsoever for authority; forget who said it and instead look what he starts with, where he ends up, and ask yourself, "Is it reasonable?

The more respect that objects, customs, or laws are given, the more attentively you must question the right these things have to this respect.

British people do not like being bossed around.