Employment Quote by William Graham Sumner
“Civil liberty is the status of the man who is guaranteed by law and civil institutions the exclusive employment of all his own powers for his own welfare.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Principles of Sociology, William Graham Sumner, 1906
Civil liberty means individuals control their own abilities for personal benefit, protected by law and institutions.
In simple terms: People control their own powers, protected by law.
Key Takeaway
Guard personal freedoms.
Themes
freedom
rights
individualism
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- political activism
- legal reforms
- personal decision making
Key Concepts
liberalism
civil rights
Questions to Reflect On
- How do laws balance individual power and collective good?
- What limits should society place on personal freedoms?
A Different Perspective
Legal protections can be unevenly applied.
![“The yearning after equality [in economic outcome] is the offspring of envy and covetousness, and there is no possible plan for satisfying that yearning which can do aught else than rob A to give to B; consequently all such plans nourish some of the meanest vices of human nature, waste capital, and…” quote by William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9b4/william-graham-sumner-5011_can-do_the-yearning-after-equality-in-economic_454035.jpg)
