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Monarchy hardens into despotism. Aristocracy contracts into oligarchy. Democracy expands into the supremacy of numbers.

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Aristocracy Contract Democracy Fanaticism Number Religious

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Marilyn Monroe Paulo Coelho Abraham Lincoln C. S. Lewis Khalil Gibran Charlie Chaplin Gautama Buddha Isaac Newton

Socialism means slavery.
LORD ACTON

Mean Slavery Socialism
Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited.
LORD ACTON

Authority Essential Limitation
We are not sure we are right until we have made the best case possible for those who are wrong.
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Case Made Possible Sure Thing Wrong
Political differences essentially depend on disagreement in moral principles.
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Differences Disagreement Essential Moral Political Principles
Be generous before you are just. Do not temper mercy with justice.
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Before Generous Justice Mercy Temper
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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Absolute Corrupt Exercise Influence Men Power Tend
The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern.
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Clas Class Danger Every Govern Particular Unfit
There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of success.
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Habit Mind More Perilous Sanctifying Succes
The principle of the Inquisition was murderous. . . . The popes were not only murderers in the great style, but they also made murder a legal basis of the Christian Church and a condition of salvation.
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Christian Murderous Principle Religion Style
At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare, and its triumphs have been due to minorities.
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Country Friend Liberty Minorities People Time Triumph
Judge talent at its best and character at its worst.
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Character Judging Talent Worst
Democracy generally monopolizes and concentrates power.
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Concentration Democracy Generally Monopolize Power
A convinced man differs from a prejudiced man as an honest man from a liar.
LORD ACTON

Convince Differ Honest Liar Men
Piety sometimes gives birth to scruples, and faith to superstition, when they are not directed by wisdom and knowledge.
LORD ACTON

Birth Directed Faith Giving Knowledge Piety Scruple Sometimes Superstition Wisdom
Far from being the product of a democratic revolution and of an opposition to English institutions, the constitution of the United States was the result of a powerful reaction against democracy, and in favor of the traditions of the mother country.
LORD ACTON

Constitution Country Institution Mother Powerful Product Result Revolution State
But when modern absolutism arose, it laid claim to everything on behalf of the sovereign power….
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Absolutism Behalf Claim Everything Laid Modern Power Sovereign
No public character has ever stood the revelation of private utterance and correspondence.
LORD ACTON

Character Correspondance Public Revelation Stood Utterance
Despotic power is always accompanied by corruption of morality.
LORD ACTON

Always Corruption Despotic Morality Power
Though oppression may give rise to violent and repeated outbreaks, like the convulsions of a man in pain, it cannot mature a settled purpose and plan of regeneration, unless a new notion of happiness is joined to the sense of present evil.
LORD ACTON

Convulsion Evil Give Man Men Oppression Outbreak Pain Purpose Repeat Settle Violent
For centuries it was never discovered that education was a function of the State, and the State never attempted to educate.
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Absolutism Attempt Century Children Discover Function Government Modern Opposite State
The strong man with the dagger is followed by the weak man with the sponge.
LORD ACTON

Dagger Follow Future Men Past Strong Weak
There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion.
LORD ACTON

Attack Development Ignorance Mindedness Narrow Shaken Simple Thing Two
Ink was not invented to express our real feelings.
LORD ACTON

Express Feeling Ink Inverted Real
Socialism easily accepts despotism. It requires the strongest execution of power — power sufficient to interfere with property.
LORD ACTON

Accepting Deposition Execution Power Requires Socialism Strongest Sufficient
There are many things the government cant do, many good purposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people. It cannot convert the people.
LORD ACTON

Enterprise Good Government Leave Many People Purpose Renounce
When the revolutionary theory of government began to prevail, and Church and State found that they were educating for opposite ends and in a contradictory spirit, it became necessary to remove children entirely from the influence of religion.
LORD ACTON

Children Church Educate Entire Necessary Opposite Religion Remove State
The true guide of our conduct is no outward authority, but the voice of God, who comes down to dwell in our souls, who knows all our thoughts, to whom are owing all the truth we know, and all the good we do; for vice is voluntary, and virtue comes from the grace of the heavenly spirit within.
LORD ACTON

Come Conduct Down God Grace Guide Know Our Outward Soul Voice

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