All desirable things... are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as a means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. John Stuart Mill More Quotes by John Stuart Mill More Quotes From John Stuart Mill He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold to his deliberate decision. John Stuart Mill apesdecisionself The individual is not accountable to society for his actions in so far as these concern the interests of no person but himself. John Stuart Mill accountabilityindividualaction Not the violent conflict between parts of the truth, but the quiet suppression of half of it, is the formidable evil; there is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides; it is when they attend to only one that errors harden into prejudices, and truth itself ceases to have the effect of truth, by being exaggerated into falsehood. John Stuart Mill errorstruthpeople Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption. John Stuart Mill adoptiondemocracyinspirational There is the greatest difference between presuming an opinion to be true, because, with every opportunity for contesting it, it has not been refuted, and assuming its truth for the purpose of not permitting its refutation. John Stuart Mill differencespurposeopportunity Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way. John Stuart Mill happinessmeanart In all intellectual debates, both sides tend to be correct in what they affirm, and wrong in what they deny. John Stuart Mill debateintellectualsides Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. John Stuart Mill good-manapathymen ... All ideas need to be heard, because each idea contains one aspect of the truth. By examining that aspect, we add to our own idea of the truth. Even ideas that have no truth in them whatsoever are useful because by disproving them, we add support to our own ideas. John Stuart Mill supportaddideas What distinguishes the majority of men from the few is their inability to act according to their beliefs. John Stuart Mill inabilitymajoritymen The spirit of improvement is not always a spirit of liberty, for it may aim at forcing improvements on an unwilling people. John Stuart Mill libertyfreedompeople Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. John Stuart Mill good-manmenneeds A state which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes--will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished. John Stuart Mill menorderhands History shows that great economic and social forces flow like a tide over communities only half conscious of that which is befalling them. Wise statesmen foresee what time is thus bringing, and try to shape institutions and mold men's thoughts and purposes in accordance with the change that is silently coming on. The unwise are those who bring nothing constructive to the process, and who greatly imperil the future of mankind by leaving great questions to be fought out between ignorant change on one hand and ignorant opposition to change on the other. John Stuart Mill wisemenhands It would not be easy even for an unbeliever, to find a better translation of the rule of virtue from the abstract into the concrete, than to endeavor so to live that Christ would approve our life. John Stuart Mill virtueeasychrist Photography is a brief complicity between foresight and luck. John Stuart Mill foresightluckphotography He who does anything because it is the custom, makes no choice. John Stuart Mill customschoicesdoe However unwillingly a person who has a strong opinion may admit the possibility that his opinion may be false, he ought to be moved by the consideration that, however true it may be, if it is not fully, frequently, and fearlessly discussed, it will be held as a dead dogma, not a living truth. John Stuart Mill opinionstrongmay As often as a study is cultivated by narrow minds, they will draw from it narrow conclusions. John Stuart Mill conclusionstudymind The principles which men profess on any controverted subject are usually a very incomplete exponent of the opinions they really hold. John Stuart Mill opinionprinciplesmen
