The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant. John Stuart Mill More Quotes by John Stuart Mill More Quotes From John Stuart Mill A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it. They are more or less unfit for liberty; and although it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it John Stuart Mill government long people The idea is essentially repulsive, of a society held together only by the relations and feelings arising out of pecuniary interest. John Stuart Mill together feelings ideas Political Economy as a branch of science is extremely modern; but the subject with which its enquiries are conversant has in all ages necessarily constituted one of the chief practical interests of mankind. John Stuart Mill enquiry political age Men might as well be imprisoned, as excluded from the means of earning their bread. John Stuart Mill might men mean if any opinion is compelled to silence, that opinion may, for aught we can certainly know, be true. To deny this is to assume our own infallibility. John Stuart Mill opinion silence may The English, of all ranks and classes, are at bottom, in all their feelings, aristocrats. They have some concept of liberty, and set some value on it, but the very idea of equality is strange and offensive to them. They do not dislike to have many people above them as long as they have some below them. John Stuart Mill class long ideas There is nothing which an untrained mind shows itself more hopelessly incapable, than in drawing the proper general conclusions from its own experience. And even trained minds, when all their training is on a special subject, and does not extend to the general principles of induction, are only kept right when there are ready opportunities of verifying their inferences by facts. John Stuart Mill training drawing opportunity Stupidity is much the same all the world over John Stuart Mill stupidity world All action is for the sake of some end; and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and color from the end to which they are subservient. John Stuart Mill color sake character Of two pleasures, if there be one which all or almost all who have experience of both give a decided preference, irrespective of any feeling of moral obligation to prefer it, that is the more desirable pleasure. John Stuart Mill feelings giving two 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 prevention pain mean Truth emerges from the clash of adverse ideas. John Stuart Mill adverse clash ideas 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 John Stuart Mill liberty intellectual law Despotism is a legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians, provided the end be their improvement. John Stuart Mill barbarians improvement government The art of music is good, for the reason, among others, that it produces pleasure; but what proof is it possible to give that pleasure is good? If, then, it is asserted that there is a comprehensive formula, including all things which are in themselves good, and that whatever else is good, is not so as an end, but as a mean, the formula may be accepted or rejected, but is not a subject of what is commonly understood by proof. John Stuart Mill giving mean art The duty of man is the same in respect to his own nature as in respect to the nature of all other things, namely not to follow it but to amend it. John Stuart Mill nature success life The despotism of custom is everywhere the standing hindrance to human advancement. John Stuart Mill advancement standing-alone despotism The only power deserving the name is that of masses, and of governments while they make themselves the organ of the tendencies and instincts of masses. John Stuart Mill government power names So long as an opinion is strongly rooted in the feelings, it gains rather than loses in stability by having a preponderating weight of argument against it. John Stuart Mill weight feelings long A person whose desires and impulses are his own - are the expression of his own nature, as it has been developed and modified by his own culture - is said to have a character. One whose desires and impulses are not his own, has no character, no more than a steam-engine has character. John Stuart Mill expression desire character
