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If the past has been an obstacle and a burden, knowledge of the past is the safest and the surest emancipation.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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JD
John Dalberg-Acton
politician, historian, pedagogue, writer, university teacher, journalist, philosopher
1834 – 1902
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli,, better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, Liberal politician, and writer. A strong advocate for individual liberty, Acton is best known for his timeless observation on the dangers of concentrated authority. In an 1887 letter to an Anglican bishop, he famously wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," underscoring his belief that unchecked power poses the greatest threat to human freedom. His works consistently emphasized the importance of limiting governmental and institutional power in favor of individual rights and personal liberty.
All Quotes by John Dalberg-Acton
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Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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Socialism means slavery.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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I'm not a driven businessman, but a driven artist. I never think about money. Beautiful things make money.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it makes between these opposite principles, absolute power on the one hand, and on the other the restraints of legality and the authority of tradition.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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The fate of every democracy, of every government based on the sovereignty of the people, depends on the choices it makes between these opposite principles, absolute power on the one hand, and on the other the restraints of legality and the authority of tradition.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right to do what we ought.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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Learn as much by writing as by reading.
— John Dalberg-Acton
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To be able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice.
— John Dalberg-Acton