Political Quotes

Lysander Spooner: “It does not tell us that individual liberty means freedom from all compulsion to do anything whatever, except what…”

On the record
It does not tell us that individual liberty means freedom from all compulsion to do anything whatever, except what justice requires us to do, and freedom to do everything whatever that justice permits us to do.
Said by
Lysander Spooner

Editor's note · Context

Spooner defines individual liberty as freedom constrained only by justice.

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More from Lysander Spooner

When they have once taken our money, they have the decency to get out of our sight as soon as possible; they do not persist in following us, and robbing us, again and again, so long as we produce anything that they can take from us.

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They do not tell us that we are the freest and happiest people on earth, inasmuch as each of our male adults is allowed one voice in ten millions in the choice of the men, who are to rob, enslave, and murder us.

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For all these reasons, they are not only modest and sensible, but really frank, honest, and honorable villains, contrasted with these courts of injustice, and the lawmakers by whom these courts are established.

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On the contrary, they acknowledge themselves robbers, murderers, and villains, pure and simple.

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