John Stuart Mill Quotes

Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is of right, absolute.

I'm a lover of my own liberty, and so I would do nothing to restrict yours.

They say the state should not impose on its citizens a preferred way of life, but should leave them as free as possible to choose their own values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others.

I love my government not least for the extent to which it leaves me alone.

Allow the world to live as it chooses, and allow yourself to live as you choose.

It's the level that allows us each to live our own chosen lives. But I notice not everyone agrees with the primary importance of that level, and I try to account for how they don't.

For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience?

I believe everybody got the right to live their own life the way they want to.

My feeling is that whatever people elect to do, insofar as they don't deny the rights of others, every effort should be made to defend their right to do it.

There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please.

I am for . . . each individual doing just as he chooses in all matters which concern nobody else.

Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.

It is a maxim that no man was ever enslaved by influence while he was fit to be free.

Here we are, then, once more back at the old doctrine - Laissez faire. Let us translate it into blunt English, and it will read, Mind your own business. It is nothing but the doctrine of liberty. Let every man be happy in his own way.

I let everyone follow his own bent, that I may be free to follow mine.

I don't conjure up ways of denying people freedom. I don't sit around and examine what people do that I don't like and try to figure out ways to get them to stop it, unless we're talking about lawbreakers, of course. But I'm a freedom, liberty, live and let live kind of guy. I might not approve of or like what people do, but have at it.

People mostly do as they like, and that would be fine if they'd let other people do the same.

For themselves they fought, for themselves they conquered, and for themselves alone they have they have right to hold.

Life is fairer when individuals are free to make their own decisions

Is any man free except the one who can pass his life as he pleases?

In England, your life is your life.

Since no one but you can know what's best for you, government control can't make your life better.

We have built our State on the freedom of personal adventure.

I have a natural right to do whatever I want with my body... as long as it doesn't affect anybody else or any other property.

I really do like being independent, and I don't want to have to rely on anyone else to cart me around if I break a bone.