Advantage Quote by Algernon Sidney
“If vice and corruption prevail, liberty cannot subsist; but if virtue have the advantage, arbitrary power cannot be established.”
About This Quote
Virtue sustains liberty, while vice enables oppression; moral strength prevents arbitrary rule.
In simple terms: Goodness protects freedom.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate virtue to guard liberty.
Themes
politics
ethics
freedom
virtue
Mood
determined
hopeful
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- government policy
- civil society
- leadership
Key Concepts
social contract
moral philosophy
Practical Applications
- promote ethical education
- enforce anti‑corruption measures
Questions to Reflect On
- What virtues are most needed today?
- How can societies institutionalize virtue?
A Different Perspective
Virtue alone may not stop powerful interests.
![“[I]f vice and corruption prevail, liberty cannot subsist; but if virtue have the advantage, arbitrary power cannot be established.” quote by Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2ef/algernon-sidney-20606_advantage_i-f-vice-and-corruption-prevail-liberty_1785566.jpg)
![“[A]ll popular and well-mixed governments [republics] . . . are ever established by wise and good men, and can never be upheld otherwise than by virtue: The worst men always conspiring against them, they must fall, if the best have not power to preserve them. . . . [and] unless they be preserved in…” quote by Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c1/algernon-sidney-20606_conspiring_a-ll-popular-and-well-mixed-governments_696129.jpg)
![“[L]iberty cannot be preserved, if the manners of the people are corrupted . . .” quote by Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/65d/algernon-sidney-20606_freedom_l-iberty-cannot-be-preserved-if-the-mann_1577380.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
