Family Quote by Oliver Goldsmith
““I have known many of those pretended champions for liberty in my time, yet do I not remember one that was not in his heart and in his family a tyrant.””
About This Quote
Source Play: The Good-Natured Man, 1768
He observes that many who claim to defend liberty are tyrants in private and family life.
In simple terms: Liberty advocates may be tyrants at home.
Key Takeaway
Beware hypocrisy in leaders.
Themes
politics
hypocrisy
leadership
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
cautionary
observational
When to use this quote
- voting
- activism
- community organizing
Key Concepts
power
morality
family dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify a leader's private conduct?
- What signs reveal hidden tyranny?
A Different Perspective
Even praised champions can hide oppression.
![“[...] perhaps these thirty years of revolution had taught him that men are unfit for liberty, and he thought that he had spent his life in the pursuit of that which was not worth the finding.” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/36a/w-somerset-maugham-237_freedom_perhaps-these-thirty-years-of-revolution_628650.jpg)
![“[T]here are depths of thousands of miles which are hidden from our inquiry. The only tidings we have from those unfathomable regions are by means of volcanoes, those burning mountains that seem to discharge their materials from the lowest abysses of the earth.” quote by Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b7d/oliver-goldsmith-772_abyss_t-here-are-depths-of-thousands-of-miles_88121.jpg)
