On Liberty | 
But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbining the human race.
But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbining the human race.
If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of the opinion, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind.
A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction
Educational standards are really not what they used to be.
Despotism is a legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians, provided the end be their improvement.
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'.
A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
