Edmund Burke on Liberty
1791
"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites . . . It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters."
John Milton on Liberty
1649 Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
"For indeed none can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license; which never hath more scope or more indulgence than under Tyrants."
bad men, loving license, governed by vice, and incapable of self-regulation, do not threaten tyrants but contentedly submit to them as long as they do not disturb their self-indulgence.
Self-regulating, virtuous persons threaten tyrants because, loving liberty and goodness, they recognize that tyrants obstruct the freedom to live according to a virtuous conscience.
Thanks to Patrick Barron for this excellent reference that adds clarity to the “whys” of Tyranny Creeps In
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to A Jaundiced Eye to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.