All Lord Acton Quotes
- Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought. Able
- By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes to be his duty against the influences of… Assurance
- Character is tested by true sentiments more than by conduct. A man is seldom better than his word. Better
- Before men can find peace and harmony within themselves they must first fall in love with their country. Country
- Liberty and good government do not exclude each other; and there are excellent reasons why they should go together. Liberty is not a means to… Each
- Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the common pretext of crime... Been
- At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare, and its triumphs have been due to minorities.... All
- Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being. Control
- Writers the most learned, the most accurate in details, and the soundest in tendency, frequently fall into a habit which can neither be cured nor… Accurate
- Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still… Absolute
- Whenever a single definite object is made the supreme end of the State, be it the advantage of a class, the safety of the power… Absolute
- Before God, there is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither rich nor poor, and the slave is as good as his master, for by birth all… All
- The principle of the Inquisition was murderous. . . . The popes were not only murderers in the great style, but they also made murder… Bases
- There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. Heresy
- Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all alike,… Absolute
- There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of success. Habit
- Limitation is essential to authority. A government is legitimate only if it is effectively limited. Authority
- A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism. Bundle
- The will of the people cannot make just that which is unjust. Cannot Make
- There should be a law to the People besides its own will. Besides
- The common vice of democracy is disregard for morality. Common
- Federalism is the best curb on democracy. [It] assigns limited powers to the central government. Thereby all power is limited. It excludes absolute power of… Absolute
- Socialism easily accepts despotism. It requires the strongest execution of power -- power sufficient to interfere with property. Accepting
- Official truth is not actual truth. Actual
- Live both in the future and the past. Who does not live in the past does not live in the future. Both