Thomas Carlyle Quotes
Only perhaps in the United States, which alone of countries can do without governing,every man being at least able to live, and move off into the wilderness, let Congress jargon as it will,can such a form of so-called Government continue for any length of time to torment men with the semblance, when the indispensable substance is not there.
Carlyle, Thomas. Latter-Day Pamphlets. Chapman and Hall, 1850, p. 21.
The great irony was that under the British, government of India, including the Pakistan area was quite good. However, after independence, India developed democratic government and is improving its governance to where it is almost good government. Pakistan, in marked contrast, had a democracy when Independence was attained and quickly fell into one dictatorship after another. And none of the governments came close to being good Government. Pakistan has a very corrupt and incompetent government—both military and civilian. However, at the time this quotation was made, the leaders of Pakistan were hopeful about and committed to good and democratic government. But neither ever happened.
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish historian, satirical writer, essayist, translator, philosopher, mathematician, and teacher. In his book On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History (1841), he argued that the actions of the "Great Man" play a key role in history, claiming that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men". Other major works include The French Revolution: A History, 3 vols (1837) and The History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, 6 vols (1858–65).
