Authors:

John Stuart Mill Quotes - Page 3

All Quotes Acting Age Assumption Atheism Authority Belief Character Children Choices Community Country Culture Democracy Desire Destiny Difficulty Diversity Duty Earth Economics Education Effort Evil Exercise Experience Feelings Freedom Freedom Of Speech Genius Giving Happiness Human Nature Independence Individuality Injustice Inspirational Justice Labor Language Liberty Life Logic Morality Motivational Nature Obedience Opportunity Originality Pain Perception Philosophy Pleasure Power Progress Purpose Religion Revolution Science Sleep Struggle Study Success Suffering Teaching Trade Training Truth Understanding Virtue War Wisdom
All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.

All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.

John Stuart Mill
Positive Thinking, Fruit, Originality
'On Liberty' (1859) ch. 3

In proportion to the development of his individuality, each person becomes more valuable to himself, and is therefore capable of being more valuable to others. . . .

John Stuart Mill
Life, Individuality, Development
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.62, OUP Oxford

The general tendency of things throughout the world is to render mediocrity the ascendant power among mankind.

John Stuart Mill
Inspiration, Power, Mediocrity
John Stuart Mill (2012). “On Liberty”, p.55, Courier Corporation

Since the state must necessarily provide subsistence for the criminal poor while undergoing punishment, not to do the same for the poor who have not offended is to give a premium on crime.

John Stuart Mill
Punishment, Giving, Criminals
John Stuart Mill (1849). “Principles of political economy, with some of their applications to social philosophy”, p.541

The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good, in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.

John Stuart Mill
Motivational, Freedom, Names
John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, John Troyer (2003). “The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill”, p.160, Hackett Publishing

Men do not desire to be rich, but to be richer than other men.

John Stuart Mill
Men, Desire, Rich

Mechanizing man's work had changed but not lighted his toil.

John Stuart Mill
Men, Toil, Changed

To tax the larger incomes at a higher percentage than the smaller, is to lay a tax on industry and economy; to impose a penalty on people for having worked harder and saved more than their neighbors.

John Stuart Mill
People, Liberty, Libertarian
John Stuart Mill (1866). “Principles of Political Economy: With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy”, p.487

No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.

John Stuart Mill
Change, Thinking, Fundamentals
'Autobiography' (1873) ch. 7

A democratic constitution, not supported by democratic institutions in detail, but confined to the central government, not only is not political freedom, but often creates a spirit precisely the reverse, carrying down to the lowest grade in society the desire and ambition of political domination.

John Stuart Mill
Ambition, Government, Political
John Stuart Mill (1848). “Principles of political economy with some of their applications to social philosophy”, p.523

A cultivated mind is one to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened, and which has been taught, in any tolerable degree, to exercise its faculties.

John Stuart Mill
Exercise, Mind, Taught
John Stuart Mill (1870). “Utilitarianism”, p.20

It is conceivable that religion may be morally useful without being intellectually sustainable.

John Stuart Mill
Atheism, May, Positive Atheism
John Stuart Mill (1874). “Nature, the Utility of Religion, and Theism”, p.73

It is not because men's desires are strong that they act ill; it is because their consciences are weak.

John Stuart Mill
Strong, Men, Desire
John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, John Troyer (2003). “The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill”, p.196, Hackett Publishing

Marriage is the only actual bondage known to our law. There remain no legal slaves, except the mistress of every house.

John Stuart Mill
Marriage, Law, House
The Subjection of Women ch. 4 (1869)

To understand one woman is not necessarily to understand any other woman.

John Stuart Mill
Understanding, One Woman
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.431, OUP Oxford

Language is the light of the mind

John Stuart Mill
Light, Mind, Language

In all intellectual debates, both sides tend to be correct in what they affirm, and wrong in what they deny.

John Stuart Mill
Intellectual, Sides, Debate

... the besetting danger is not so much of embracing falsehood for truth, as of mistaking a part of the truth for the whole.

John Stuart Mill
Truth, Mistake, Science
John Stuart Mill (1873). “Coleridge. M. de Tocqueville on democracy in America. Bailey on Berkeley's theory of vision. Michelets' history of France. The claims of labor. Guizot's essays and lectures on history. Early Grecian history and legend”, p.11

Whatever crushes individuality is despotism.

John Stuart Mill
Crush, Individuality, Liberty
On Liberty ch. 3 (1859)

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.

John Stuart Mill
Opportunity, Errors, Race
John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, John Troyer (2003). “The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill”, p.163, Hackett Publishing

The worth of the state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.

John Stuart Mill
Running, Long, Citizenship
'On Liberty' (1859) ch. 5

Liberty consists in doing what one desires.

John Stuart Mill
Philosophical, Desire, Liberty
On Liberty ch. 5 (1859)

Originality is the one thing which unoriginal minds cannot feel the use of.

John Stuart Mill
Mind, Use, Originality
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.64, OUP Oxford

... All ideas need to be heard, because each idea contains one aspect of the truth. By examining that aspect, we add to our own idea of the truth. Even ideas that have no truth in them whatsoever are useful because by disproving them, we add support to our own ideas.

John Stuart Mill
Ideas, Support, Add

Everyone who receives the protection of society owes a return for the benefit.

John Stuart Mill
Benefits, Return, Protection
On Liberty ch. 4 (1859)

You May Also Like: