Conquest Quote by Algernon Sidney
“No right can come by conquest, unless there were a right of making that conquest.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Discourses Concerning Government, 1690
Rights are justified only when the authority to claim them is itself legitimate.
In simple terms: Rights need legitimate basis.
Key Takeaway
Ensure authority is just before claiming rights.
Themes
justice
legitimacy
rights
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- lawmaking
- civil protest
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
political philosophy
social contract
Questions to Reflect On
- Is the source of authority just?
- How do we verify legitimacy?
A Different Perspective
Rights without legitimacy can lead to oppression.
![“[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)
