Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 - May 6, 1862) on State and The Masses(published by RevoltSource) |
../ggcms/src/templates/revoltsource/view/display_greatgrandchildof_quotes.php
American Naturalist, Essayist, Poet, Philosopher, Leading Transcendentalist, best Known for his Book Walden, a Reflection upon Simple Living in Natural Surroundings, and his Essay "Civil Disobedience"
Quote #13 on Political Struggle Quotes >> State and The Masses
“...this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way. For government is an expedient, by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it.”
Source: "Civil Disobedience," by Henry David Thoreau, 1849.
No comments so far. You can be the first!
<< Last Entry in The Masses | Current Entry in The Masses 13 | Next Entry in The Masses >> |
All Nearby Items in The Masses
|