If you would have the slave show the virtues of the…

“If you would have the slave show the virtues of the freeman, you must first make him free.”

Henry George

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Freedom is a prerequisite for anyone to demonstrate the virtues of liberty.

In simple terms: Freedom needed to show virtue.

Key Takeaway

Grant freedom before expecting virtue.

Themes

freedom virtue social justice

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

education reform
civil rights movements
community empowerment
leadership development

Key Concepts

political philosophy human rights

Questions to Reflect On

How does freedom affect moral responsibility?
What conditions nurture virtue?

A Different Perspective

Freedom alone does not guarantee virtuous behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

Economy Liberalism Politics Slave Slavery Virtue Wisdom

More by Henry George

No theory is too false, no fable too absurd, no superstition too degrading for acceptance when it has become embedded in common belief. Men…

Henry George

Private ownership of land is the nether mill-stone. Material progress is the upper mill-stone. Between them, with an increasing pressure, the working classes are…

Henry George

As it becomes more and more difficult to get land, so will the virtual enslavement of the laboring-classe s go on. As the value…

Henry George

In all the new states of the Union, land monopolization has gone on at an alarming rate, but in none of them so fast…

Henry George

The ideal social state is not that in which each gets an equal amount of wealth, but in which each gets in proportion to…

Henry George

The state, it cannot too often be repeated, does nothing, and can give nothing, which it does not take from somebody.

Henry George

It is not from top to bottom that societies die; it is from bottom to top.

Henry George

That amid our highest civilization men faint and die with want is not due to the niggardliness of nature, but to the injustice of…

Henry George

I do not think that any sorrow of youth or manhood equalled in intensity or duration the black and hopeless misery which followed the…

Henry George

What protectionism teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.

Henry George

It is too narrow an understanding of production which confines it merely to the making of things. Production includes not merely the making of…

Henry George

It is not the business of government to make men virtuous or religious, or to preserve the fool from the consequences of his own…

Henry George

Social progress makes the well-being of all more and more the business of each.

Henry George

Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes…

Henry George

The value of a thing is the amount of laboring or work that its possession will save the possessor.

Henry George

Explore all 84 Henry George quotes

More Economy quotes

Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…

Martin Schulz

Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…

Christopher Bond

I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…

Laura van den Berg

A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.

Rachel Campos-Duffy

I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…

Ronald Reagan

There is no precedent of an advanced economy withdrawing from a trade agreement as deep and as complex as the European Union.

Jo Johnson

Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…

Kevin Rudd

We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…

Jeff Sessions

Having an economy that works for the 99% is achievable.

Winnie Byanyima

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…

Dan Lipinski

At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…

George Soros

However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…

Marco Rubio

America is stronger than Russia. Our economy is 16 times larger than the Russian economy.

Mike Pence

Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.

Van Jones

As president, things that you're supposed to focus on, things like the economy, like energy policy, which is completely tied to national security, and…

Doug Burgum

Browse all 6,596 Economy quotes

If you would have the slave show the virtues of the…

About This Quote

Related quotes

More by Henry George

More Economy quotes