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Portrait of Lord Acton

Lord Acton

141 quotes in 738 categories

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Lord Acton was an English historian and politician who warned that power can corrupt, famously saying 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

Quick Facts About Lord Acton

Notable works: Vatican Council

About Lord Acton

John Emerich Edward Dalberg‑Acton, known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, Liberal politician, and writer. He championed individual liberty and argued that concentrated authority is dangerous. In an 1887 letter he wrote, 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,' emphasizing the threat of unchecked power to freedom.

Quotes by Lord Acton · Page 2

To develop and perfect and arm conscience is the great achievement of history.

Achievement

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Ink was not invented to express our real feelings.

Color

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Feudalism made land the measure and the master of all things.

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Many men can no more be kept straight by spiritual motives than we can live without policemen.

Men

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No public character has ever stood the revelation of private utterance and correspondence.

Character

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A people averse to the institution of private property is without the first elements of freedom

Elements

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Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Absolute power

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To be able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice.

Life

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Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited.

Authority

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History is not only a particular branch of knowledge, but a particular mode and method of knowledge in other branches.

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If some great catastrophe is not announced every morning, we feel a certain void. Nothing in the paper today, we sigh.

Catastrophe

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The passion for power over others can never cease to threaten mankind, and is always sure of finding new and unforseen allies…

Allies

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Socialism easily accepts despotism. It requires the strongest execution of power -- power sufficient to interfere with property.

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The finest opportunity ever given to the world was thrown away because the passion of equality made vain the hope for freedom.

Capitalism

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Liberty has not only enemies which it conquers, but perfidious friends, who rob the fruits of its victories: Absolute democracy, socialism.

Absolutes

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The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus…

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The true guide of our conduct is no outward authority, but the voice of God, who comes down to dwell in our…

Authority

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There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development…

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The principle of the Inquisition was murderous. . . . The popes were not only murderers in the great style, but they…

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Neither an enlightened philosophy, nor all the political wisdom of Rome, nor even the faith and virtue of the Christians availed against…

Antiquity

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The law of liberty tends to abolish the reign of race over race, of faith over faith, of class over class. It…

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Before God, there is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither rich nor poor, and the slave is as good as his master, for…

Barbarians

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The history of institutions is often a history of deception and illusions; for their virtue depends on the ideas that produce and…

Deception

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Though oppression may give rise to violent and repeated outbreaks, like the convulsions of a man in pain, it cannot mature a…

Evil

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There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

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Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right to do what we ought.

Freedom

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There should be a law to the People besides its own will.

Inspirational

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It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people fit to govern others.

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Be not content with the best book; seek sidelights from the others; have no favourites.

Book

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Do not turn yourself from an end into a means-one does not justify the other.

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There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of success.

Habit

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Judge talent at its best and character at its worst.

Character

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Authority that does not exist for Liberty is not authority but force.

Authority

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Remember that one touch of ill-nature makes the whole world kin.

Ill

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“Judge talent at its best but character at its worst.”

Character

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We are not sure we are right until we have made the best case possible for those who are wrong.

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Moral precepts are constant through the ages and not obedient to circumstances.

Age

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In England Parliament is above the law. In America the law is above Congress.

Above the law

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It is dangerous, at any time, to multiply sources of weakness.

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Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the common pretext of crime...

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Lord Acton by topic

Men (25) Politics (23) Freedom (22) Liberty (19) Government (17) Inspirational (14) Political (13) History (13) Power (12) Character (12) Religion (11) Authority (11) Democracy (10) Absolutes (10) Absolute power (10)