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John Stuart Mill Quotes - Page 7

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In a really equal democracy, every or any section would be represented, not disproportionately, but proportionately. ... Unless they are, there is not equal government, but a government of inequality and privilege: one

In a really equal democracy, every or any section would be represented, not disproportionately, but proportionately. ... Unless they are, there is not equal government, but a government of inequality and privilege: one part of the people rule over the rest: there is a part whose fair and equal share of influence in the representation is withheld from them, contrary to all just government, but, above all, contrary to the principle of democracy, which professes equality as its very root and foundation.

John Stuart Mill
Roots, Government, People

Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called and whether it professes to be enforcing the will of God or the injunctions of men.

John Stuart Mill
Crush, Men, Names
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.62, OUP Oxford

On religion in particular, the time appears to me to have come, when it is a duty of all who, being qualified in point of knowledge, have, on mature consideration, satisfied themselves that the current opinions are not only false, but hurtful, to make their dissent known.

John Stuart Mill
Hurtful, Opinion, Mature
John Stuart Mill (2015). “Autobiography John Stuart Mill: Top Biography”, p.20, 谷月社

A people may prefer a free government, but if by momentary discouragement or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or trust him with powers to subvert their institutions, in all these cases they are unfit for liberty.

John Stuart Mill
Men, Feet, People
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.184, Oxford University Press, USA

It's hardly possible to overstate the value, in the present state of human improvement, of placing human beings in contact with other persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and action unlike those with which they are familiar. Such communication has always been... one of the primary sources of progress.

John Stuart Mill
Communication, Progress, Action

It is historically true that a large proportion of infidels in all ages have been persons of distinguished integrity and honor.

John Stuart Mill
Integrity, Honor, Atheism
John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, John Troyer (2003). “The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill”, p.173, Hackett Publishing

In this age, the mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time.

John Stuart Mill
Character, Order, Break Through
John Stuart Mill (2003). “Mill's On Liberty”, p.81, Agora Publications, Inc.

No one can be a great thinker who does not recognize that as a thinker it is his first duty to follow his intellect to whatever conclusions it may lead.

John Stuart Mill
May, Firsts, Doe
John Stuart Mill (2012). “On Liberty”, p.28, Courier Corporation

There is never any fair and thorough discussion of heretical opinions... The greatest harm done is to those who are not heretics, and whose whole mental development is cramped and their reason cowed, by the fear of heresy.

John Stuart Mill
Speech, Done, Development
John Stuart Mill (1864). “On Liberty”, p.61

Trade is a social act. Whoever undertakes to sell any description of any goods to the public, does what affects the interest of other persons, and of society in general; and thus his conduct, in principal, comes within the jurisdiction of society.

John Stuart Mill
Doe, Social, Description
John Stuart Mill (1859). “On Liberty”, p.170

To say that secular means irreligious implies that all the arts and sciences are irreligious, and is very like saying that all professions except that of the law are illegal.

John Stuart Mill
Art, Mean, Law
John Stuart Mill (1988). “Collected works of John Stuart Mill”

The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.

John Stuart Mill
Independence, Mind, Society
On Liberty ch. 1 (1859)

All social inequalities which have ceased to be considered expedient, assume the character not of simple inexpediency, but of injustice, and appear so tyrannical, that people are apt to wonder how they ever could have. been tolerated; forgetful that they themselves perhaps tolerate other inequalities under an equally mistaken notion of expediency, the correction of which would make that which they approve seem quite as monstrous as what they have at last learnt to condemn.

John Stuart Mill
Character, Simple, People
John Stuart Mill (2008). “On Liberty and Utilitarianism”, p.234, Bantam Classics

When the people are too much attached to savage independence, to be tolerant of the amount of power to which it is for their good that they should be subject, the state of society is not yet ripe for representative government.

John Stuart Mill
Government, People, Independence
John Stuart Mill (1861). “Considerations on Representative Government”, p.108

What a country wants to make it richer is never consumption, but production. Where there is the latter, we may be sure that there is no want of the former. To produce, implies that the producer de_sires to consume; why else should he give himself useless labor? He may not wish to consume what he himself produces, but his motive for producing and selling is the desire to buy. Therefore, if the producers generally produce and sell more and more, they certainly also buy more and more.

John Stuart Mill
Country, Giving, Wish
John Stuart Mill (2007). “Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy”, p.46, Cosimo, Inc.

Christian morality (so called) has all the characters of a reaction; it is, in great part, a protest against Paganism. Its ideal is negative rather than positive; passive rather than action; innocence rather than Nobleness; Abstinence from Evil, rather than energetic Pursuit of Good: in its precepts (as has been well said) "thou shalt not" predominates unduly over "thou shalt.

John Stuart Mill
Christian, Character, Evil
"On Liberty". Philosophical work by John Stuart Mill (ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion), 1859.

Every man who says frankly and fully what he thinks is so far doing a public service. We should be grateful to him for attacking most unsparingly our most cherished opinions.

John Stuart Mill
Freedom, Grateful, Men

It is not the feeling sure of a doctrine (be it what it may) which I call an assumption of infallibility. It is the undertaking to decide that question for others, without allowing them to hear what can be said on the contrary side. And I denounce and reprobate this pretension not the less, if put forth on the side of my most solemn convictions.

John Stuart Mill
Feelings, Doctrine, May
Source: www.usconstitution.net

Every one is degraded, whether aware of it or not, when other people, without consulting him, take upon themselves unlimited power to regulate his destiny.

John Stuart Mill
Destiny, People, Democracy
John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.287, Oxford University Press, USA

In proportion as the people are accustomed to manage their affairs by their own active intervention, instead of leaving them to the government, their desires will turn to repelling tyranny, rather than to tyrannizing: while in proportion as all ready initiative and direction resides in the government, and individuals habitually feel and act as under its perpetual tutelage, popular institutions develop in them not the desire of freedom, but an unmeasured appetite for place and power.

John Stuart Mill
Government, People, Leaving

Men are men before they are lawyers, or physicians, or merchants, or manufacturers; and if you make them capable and sensible men, they will make themselves capable and sensible lawyers or physicians.

John Stuart Mill
Men, Physicians, Lawyer
John Stuart Mill (1867). “Inaugural Addresse, Delivered to the University of St. Andrews: Feb. 1st 1867”, p.4

A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it. They are more or less unfit for liberty; and although it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it

John Stuart Mill
Government, Long, People
"Considerations on Representative Government". Book by John Stuart Mill (p. 6), 1861.

A government with all this mass of favours to give or to withhold, however free in name, wields a power of bribery scarcely surpassed by an avowed autocracy, rendering it master of the elections in almost any circumstances but those of rare and extraordinary public excitement.

John Stuart Mill
Government, Names, Giving
John Stuart Mill (1964). “Collected works of John Stuart Mill”

In proportion to the development of his individuality, each person becomes more valuable to others. There is a greater fullness of life about his own existence, and when there is more life in the units there is more in the mass which is composed of them.

John Stuart Mill
Fullness Of Life, Individuality, Development
John Stuart Mill (1954). “On Liberty: Representative Government ; The Subjection of Women : Three Essays”

The reasons for legal intervention in favour of children apply not less strongly to the case of those unfortunate slaves and victims of the most brutal part of mankind - the lower animals.

John Stuart Mill
Children, Animal, Favour
John Stuart Mill, Stephen Nathanson (1875). “Principles of Political Economy (Abridged): With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy”, p.291, Hackett Publishing

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