Words of Wisdom - Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau may be best know for writing Walden (1854), but his work "Civil Disobedience" is my favorite. In "Civil Disobedience," Thoreau discusses unjust laws. Later, other leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. used it as inspiration.

Below are some random quotes from "Civil Disobedience" that are not only interesting and thought provoking, but also very applicable to issues we are dealing with today.

Quotes from "Civil Disobedience"

Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made agents of injustice.

What is the price-current of an honest man and patriot today? They hesitate and they regret and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have to regret. At most, they give only cheap vote, and a feeble countenance and God-speed, to the right, as it goes by them.

Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority.

I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let's see who is the strongest.

There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.

Words of Wisdom - Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass beautifully argued that slavery hurts the slave owner as much as the slave. This is true with any kind of oppression  - those who oppress pay a terrible price for what they do to others. He also discusses the pains taken to keep him from learning how to read. The fear of an educated slave was another burden the slaveowner suffered. And it never works. The truth always finds a way.


Here are a couple of interesting quotes from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave


(Speaking of his owner, Mrs. Hughs)
Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman, There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.


(In learning to read, and becoming aware, Douglass is forever changed - the thing that the slaveowners feared the most.)
I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own. Any thing, no matter what, to get rid of thinking! It was this everlasting thinking of my condition that tormented me. There was no getting rid of it. It was pressed upon me by every object within sight or hearing, animate or inanimate. The silver trump of freedom has roused my soul to eternal wakefulness.

Words of Wisdom - Machiavelli

I don't admire Niccolo Machiavelli in the way that some leaders and politicians obviously do. I do, however, appreciate the truth that Machiavelli tells us about the nature of leaders. By giving examples of his time (Renaissance Italy) we are able to see how powerful people today still operate. People like to throw around some of Machiavelli's philosophy as sound governing principle. I see the value in his writing as a lesson in actions that are most effective to manipulate the masses.

Here are some examples from Machiavelli's The Prince:

On Generosity and Miserliness

I say it would be good to be considered generous; nevertheless, generosity used in such a manner as to give you a reputation for it will harm you; because if it is employed virtuously and as one should employ it, it will not be recognized and you will not avoid the reproach of its opposite.

On Cruelty and Mercy and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved than to Be Feared or the Contrary

And men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are a sorry lot, is broken on every occasion in which their own self-interest is concerned; but fear is held together by a dread of punishment which will never abandon you.

How a Prince Should Keep His Word

A wise ruler, therefore, cannot and should not keep his word when such an observance of faith would be to his disadvantage and when the reasons which made him promise are removed. And if men were all good, this rule would not be good; but since men are a sorry lot and will not keep their promises to you, you likewise need not keep yours to them. A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promises.

But it is necessary to know how to disguise this nature well and to be a great hypocrite and a liar; and men are so simpleminded and so controlled by their present necessities that one who deceives will always find another who will allow himself to be deceived.

Words of Wisdom - Lao-Tzu

Lao-Tzu, a Chinese philosopher who lived aroung the time of Confucius, wrote the the Tao-te Ching. Within the chapters of this document, Lao-Tzu emphasizes the the need to minimize the power of the state. He is concerned with the freedom of the individual and the attributes of a true leader.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the Tao-Te Ching:

46

There is no greater illusion than fear,

no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,

no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

Whoever can see through all fear

will always be safe.

53

When rich speculators prosper

while farmers lose their land;

when government officials spend money

on weapons instead of cures;

when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible

while the poor have nowhere to turn -

all this is robbery and chaos.

The more prohibitions you have,

the less virtuous people will be.

The more weapons you have,

the less secure people will be.

The more subsidies you have,

The less self-reliant people will be.

60

Governing a large country

is like frying a small fish.

You spoil it with too much poking.

67

I have just three things to teach:

simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.

Simple in actions and in thoughts,

you return to the source of being.

Patient with both friends and enemies,

you accord with the way things are.

Compasionate toward yourself,

you reconcile all beings in the world.

75

When taxes are too high,

people go hungry.

When the government is too intrusive,

people lose their spirit.

Act for the people's benefit.

Trust them; leave them alone.