John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Millwas an English philosopher, political economist, feminist, and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism, he contributed widely to social theory, political theory and political economy. He has been called "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century." Mill's conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth20 May 1806
men majority inability
What distinguishes the majority of men from the few is their inability to act according to their beliefs.
political-revolution moral opinion
All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one consequence of the previous subversion of established opinions.
men good-man needs
Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.
pigs different fool
It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question.
positive-thinking fruit originality
All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.
liberty desire libertarian
Liberty consists in doing what one desires.
running long citizenship
The worth of the state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.
inspirational adoption experience
Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.
crush individuality liberty
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism.
people liberty nuisance
The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.
law intellectual liberty
In a world in which there is so much to interest, so much to enjoy, and so much also to correct and improve, everyone who has this moderate amount of moral and intellectual requisites is capable of an existence which may be called enviable; and unless such a person, through bad laws, or subjection to the will of others, is denied the liberty to use the sources of happiness within his reach, he will not fail to find the enviable existence
strong men desire
It is not because men's desires are strong that they act ill; it is because their consciences are weak.
mind fixed objects
Those only are happy (I thought) who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness.
wise character men
the only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject, is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this; nor is it in the nature of human intellect to become wise in any other manner.