On the record
That reason is, that every right he gives up diminishes his own power of self-protection, and makes it so much more difficult for the government to protect him.
Said by
Lysander Spooner
Source
gutenberg.orgLysander Spooner: “That reason is, that every right he gives up diminishes his own power of self-protection, and makes it so much more…”
Editor's note · Context
This quote illustrates Spooner's belief that giving up rights weakens one's ability to protect oneself, contradicting the purpose of government protection.
Share
More from Lysander Spooner
They acknowledge it to be our unquestioned right and duty to kill them, if we can; that they expect nothing else, than that we will kill them, if we can; and that we are only fools and cowards, if we do not kill them, by any and every…
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.
In short, they acknowledge themselves hostes humani generis: enemies of the human race.
They do not tell us of the almshouses, hospitals, schools, churches, etc., which, out of the purest charity and benevolence, they maintain for our benefit, out of the money they take from us.