And yet we have what purports, or professes, or is claimed, to be a contract—the Constitution—made eighty years ago, by men who are now all dead, and who never had any power to bind us, but which (it is claimed) has nevertheless bound three generations of men, consisting of many millions, and which (it is claimed) will be binding upon all the millions that are to come; but which nobody ever signed, sealed, delivered, witnessed, or acknowledged; and which few persons, compared with the whole number that are claimed to be bound by it, have ever read, or even seen, or ever will read, or see.
Lysander Spooner
Related To be, or not to be, that is the question. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE To be or not to be. That's not really a question. JEAN-LUC GODARD Do I have the courage of being a ruthless man to myself with the complete knowledge on my manner or ... FEREIDOON YAZDI Yes! Very funny this terrible thing is. A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls i... JOSEPH CONRAD Experience which was once claimed by the aged is now claimed exclusively by the young. G. K. CHESTERTON To date or not to date that is the question. It's almost as important as Shakespeare's to be... AL GOLDSTEIN To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be. GOLDA MEIR To be mad is worse than not to be if this is what it is. JOHNNY RICH Hamlet's Cat's Soliloquy "To go outside, and there perchance to stay Or to re... HENRY N. BEARD To be or not to be isn't the question. The question is how to prolong being. TOM ROBBINS The quest of the Inner Ring will break your hearts unless you break it. But if you break it, a surpr... C.S. LEWIS They are all parts of time, and the past and future are created species of time, which we unconsciou... PLATO I know that David Tennant's Hamlet isn't till July. And lots of people are going to be doing Dr Who ... NEIL GAIMAN Men wholly bent on wordly treasures were the dupes of their own passions, rather than deceived by th... ETHAN A. HITCHCOCK 33. Satan will attempt to offer you whatever you hunger for, whether it be money, power, sex, or pre... JAMES C. DOBSON It is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great o... JOHN RUSKIN It is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great o... JOHN RUSKIN I’ve tried so hard to stay away from you,” he whispered one night, cuddling her while the moonli... LISA KLEYPAS Men have defined the parameters of every subject. All feminist arguments, however radical in intent ... ANDREA DWORKIN Shaq pe hai yaqeen unko, Yaqeen pe hai shaq Mujhy..... .....Kis ka jhoot jhoot hai, K... VISHAL BHARADWAJ - HAIDER FILM How strangely men act. They will not praise those who are living at the same time and living with th... MARCUS AURELIUS No witch has ever claimed to own the Elder Wand. Make of that what you will. J.K. ROWLING I have nowhere claimed nor even implied that unbelief is a guarantee of good conduct or even an indi... CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS We have never had any problems or concerns up till now. Accidents happen, is what it amounts to, and... BOB SCHLAG Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plow... FREDERICK DOUGLASS The territorial aristocracy of former ages was either bound by law, or thought itself bound by usage... ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE It ends or it doesn't. That’s what you say. That’s how you get through it. The tu... CAITLYN SIEHL Do you not think that there are things which you cannot understand, and yet which are; that some peo... BRAM STOKER But this is what I want to do, and it is what I will continue doing until Judas Priest finishes, whi... GLENN TIPTON There have been daring people in the world who claimed that Fenimore Cooper could write English, but... MARK TWAIN Not all men (and especially the wisest) share the opinion that it is bad for women to be educated. B... CHRISTINE DE PIZAN 37. It is better to be single and unhappy than unhappily married. JAMES C. DOBSON If all the Chinese men who claimed to be US-born actually were, it meant every woman in Chinatown wo... AIMEE KLASK There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no ... JOHN GREEN It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the ... JAMES MADISON I believe when I am in the mood that all nature is full of people whom we cannot see, and that some ... W.B. YEATS The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or... GEORGE WASHINGTON 2. Overcommitment and time pressure are the greatest destroyers of marriages. It takes time to devel... JAMES C. DOBSON If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion,... ABIGAIL ADAMS If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion,... ABIGAIL ADAMS If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion,... ABIGAIL ADAMS Men flocked to see it and ascended it as it was a novelty and of unique dimensions. It was the toy o... MAHATMA GANDHI The second advantage claimed for naturalism is that it is equivalent to rationality, because it assu... PHILLIP E. JOHNSON Why did I allow myself to be bored ever in the past and to compensate for it got high or drunk or ra... JACK KEROUAC Most women have had the experience of being in a group of men, saying something absolutely profound,... ANNE SCHAEF Most women have had the experience of being in a group of men, saying something absolutely profound,... ANNE WILSON SCHAEF Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any peop... FREDERICK DOUGLASS ...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put s... ABIGAIL ADAMS ...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put s... ABIGAIL ADAMS This oath is the oath we all swear. Not to a god, or a master, or to the Ludu Achillea...but to our ... LESLEY LIVINGSTON Let no one ever intimidate you, you are standing on no one's ground. But again, some have claimed th... BANGAMBIKI HABYARIMANA No one has claimed or disclaimed credit. DAVE OLSEN Punctuality is a quality the need of which is bound up with social co-operation. It has nothing to d... BERTRAND RUSSELL Most of the people who are coming to Australia by boat have passed through several countries on the ... TONY ABBOTT It is a dangerous and idle dream to think that the state can become rule by philosophers turned king... DENIS WILLIAM BROGAN America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond ... GEORGE W. BUSH God has given to all men free agency and has granted us the privilege to serve Him or serve Him not,... SOURCE UNKNOWN There will come a time', I said, 'when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when th... JOHN GREEN So long as you are a slave to the opinions of the many you have not yet approached freedom or tasted... JULIAN THE APOSTATE So long as you are a slave to the opinions of the many you have not yet approached freedom or tasted... JULIAN THE APOSTATE The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. DR. CARL SAGAN There is that in the Gospel with which no one is allowed to argue. All we can do is believe or disbe... JAMES DENNEY I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES No apparent, perceived, or claimed evidence in any field, including history and chronology, can be v... KEN HAM Man’s life is a line that nature commands him to describe upon the surface of the earth, without h... PAUL HENRI THIRY D'HOLBACH Many things are unknown to the wisest, and the best men can never wholly divest themselves of passio... ALGERNON SYDNEY Many things are unknown to the wisest, and the best men can never wholly divest themselves of passio... ALGERNON SIDNEY In the flush of love's light, we dare be brave. And suddenly we see that love costs all we are, ... MAYA ANGELOU There are some men who possess a quality which goes way beyond romantic or even sexual appeal, a qua... LUCILLE KALLEN Sheep don’t need the shepherd to be what they are. The shepherd needs sheep to be what he is. LJUPKA CVETANOVA And government (to define it de facto, or according to modern prudence) is an art whereby some man, ... JAMES HARRINGTON Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called and whether it profes... JOHN STUART MILL Instead of either/or, I discovered a whole world of and. GLORIA STEINEM The moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted to us is the best the world has ever s... BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Creation myths are not about the origins of the world at all, but about the origins of patriarchy wh... JANE CAPUTI It is shameful that people like Prime Minister Gonzi tried to depict people in favour of divorce as ... JOSEPH MUSCAT There exists a law, not written down anywhere, but inborn in our hearts, a law which comes to us not... MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO I originally feared she might be dead, which felt like a sealed book that I would never be able to r... JANET LOUISE STEPHENSON Poor souls are apt to think that all those whom they read of or hear of to be gone to heaven, went t... JOHN OWEN We have established that Ms McCarthy was entitled to housing benefit which she has never claimed so ... DAVID LAMBERT I wish that all nations may recover and retain their independence; that those which are overgrown ma... THOMAS JEFFERSON And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, / If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and ... BIBLE Sooner or later we've all got to confront the reality that we have got to come to understand who... AYAD AKHTAR For many ages it has been allowed by sensible men, Nihil est in intellectu quod non fuit prius in... JOHN WESLEY Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall ... GEORGE ORWELL What friends or kindred can be so close and intimate as the powers of our soul, which, whether we wi... SAINT TERESA OF AVILA Does it ever give thee pause, that men used to have a soul- not by hearsay along, or as a figure of ... THOMAS CARLYLE The demand for certainty is one which is natural to man, but is nevertheless an intellectual vice. .... BERTRAND RUSSELL There will come a time,” I said, “when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a tim... JOHN GREEN If you come into contact with that rare once in a lifetime opportunity, instantly own it, remember a... VICTORIA ADDINO We are far from perfect but willing to be different. CRAIG GROESCHEL The various moral and theological and sociological disputes of the day, however progressively resolv... MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE The only time you ever have in which to learn anything or see anything or feel
anything, or express ... MARIANNE WILLIAMSON We have no group that's claimed responsibility. It could be any number of groups attempting to opera... DAN SENOR We who read regularly and who encourage our families to do likewise, may find it hard to accept that... GLENN MURRAY Each of us will be remembered, either by those close to us or by those who have benefited from the g... DONALD PILLAI For all works and things, which are either commanded or forbidden by God and thus have been institut... MARTIN LUTHER We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds; we have been drenched by many storms; we have learnt th... DIETRICH BONHOEFFER The real point is that totalitarian regimes have claimed jurisdiction over the whole person, and the... JEANE KIRKPATRICK A man receives only what he is ready to receive, whether physically or intellectually or morally, as... HENRY DAVID THOREAU
More Lysander Spooner
The secret ballot makes a secret government; and a secret government is a secret band of robbers and... LYSANDER SPOONER Now a slave is not 'held' by any legal contract, obligation, duty, or authority, which the l... LYSANDER SPOONER A man's natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equ... LYSANDER SPOONER Majorities, as such, afford no guarantees for justice. They are men of the same nature as minorities... LYSANDER SPOONER A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years. LYSANDER SPOONER A government that can at pleasure accuse, shoot, and hang men, as traitors, for the one general offe... LYSANDER SPOONER The right of revolution, which tyrants, in mockery, accord to mankind, is no legal right under a gov... LYSANDER SPOONER Children learn many principles of natural law at a very early age. For example: they learn that when... LYSANDER SPOONER But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has eit... LYSANDER SPOONER A traitor is a betrayer - one who practices injury, while professing friendship. Benedict Arnold was... LYSANDER SPOONER It is a natural impossibility for any man to make a binding contract, by which he shall surrender to... LYSANDER SPOONER The number who actually consented to the Constitution of the United States, at the first, was very s... LYSANDER SPOONER The rescue of a person, who is assaulted, or restrained of his liberty, without authority of law, is... LYSANDER SPOONER The single despot stands out in the face of all men, and says: I am the State: My will is law: I am ... LYSANDER SPOONER The mental capacity of a person to make reasonable contracts, is the only criterion, by which to det... LYSANDER SPOONER If men were but to read the New Testament with the same tone and emphasis, with which they do other ... LYSANDER SPOONER Those who deny the right of a jury to protect an individual in resisting an unjust law of the govern... LYSANDER SPOONER Legislators and judges are necessarily exposed to all the temptations of money, fame, and power, to ... LYSANDER SPOONER If a jury have not the right to judge between the government and those who disobey its laws, and res... LYSANDER SPOONER Legally speaking, there are no such things as 'public rights,' as distinguished from individ... LYSANDER SPOONER Doubtless the most miserable of men, under the most oppressive government in the world, if allowed t... LYSANDER SPOONER Vices are usually pleasurable, at least for the time being, and often do not disclose themselves as ... LYSANDER SPOONER A man who is without capital, and who, by prohibitions upon banking, is practically forbidden to hir... LYSANDER SPOONER If the works of Jesus were so much more wonderful than man could perform as to deserve to be called ... LYSANDER SPOONER If taxation without consent is robbery, the United States government has never had, has not now, and... LYSANDER SPOONER The desertion of Jesus, by his followers, furnishes an argument in support of the supposition that h... LYSANDER SPOONER The trial by jury might safely be introduced into a despotic government, if the jury were to exercis... LYSANDER SPOONER If it be said that the consent of the strongest party in a nation, is all that is necessary to justi... LYSANDER SPOONER The greatest of all crimes are the wars that are carried on by governments, to plunder, enslave, and... LYSANDER SPOONER If physical power be the fountain of law, then law and force are synonymous terms. Or, perhaps, rath... LYSANDER SPOONER One essential of a free government is that it rest wholly on voluntary support. And one certain proo... LYSANDER SPOONER It is manifest that the only security against the tyranny of the government lies in forcible resista... LYSANDER SPOONER That no government, so called, can reasonably be trusted, or reasonably be supposed to have honest p... LYSANDER SPOONER Legally speaking, the term 'public rights' is as vague and indefinite as are the terms '... LYSANDER SPOONER Any rule, not existing in the nature of things, or that is not permanent, universal and inflexible i... LYSANDER SPOONER To measure prices by a currency that is called by the same names as gold, but that is really inferio... LYSANDER SPOONER But for their right to judge of the law, and the justice of the law, juries would be no protection t... LYSANDER SPOONER The imaginations of believers have dressed up and exaggerated the excellence of the style and matter... LYSANDER SPOONER The apology, that is constantly put forth for the injustice of government, viz., that a man must con... LYSANDER SPOONER The right of absolute and irresponsible dominion is the right of property, and the right of property... LYSANDER SPOONER Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, ... LYSANDER SPOONER A married woman has the same natural right to acquire and hold property, and to make all contracts t... LYSANDER SPOONER Martyrdom is evidence only of a man's honesty - it is no evidence that he is not mistaken. Men h... LYSANDER SPOONER Those who are capable of tyranny are capable of perjury to sustain it. LYSANDER SPOONER The very idea of law originates in men's natural rights. There is no other standard, than natura... LYSANDER SPOONER If two individuals enter into a contract to commit trespass, theft, robbery or murder upon a third, ... LYSANDER SPOONER A man's 'original and natural right' to make all contracts that are 'intrinsically o... LYSANDER SPOONER To deprive mankind of their natural right and power of creating wealth for themselves, is as great a... LYSANDER SPOONER Men's moral principles are weak enough without their being made subordinate to selfishness; and ... LYSANDER SPOONER A slave government is an oligarchy; and one, too, of the most arbitrary and criminal character. LYSANDER SPOONER Justice is the object of government, and those who support the government, must be agreed as to the ... LYSANDER SPOONER Majorities and minorities cannot rightfully be taken at all into account in deciding questions of ju... LYSANDER SPOONER But that the people are stronger than the government, and will resist in extreme cases, our governme... LYSANDER SPOONER The laws recognize no obligation on the part of the slave to labor for or serve his master. If he re... LYSANDER SPOONER It is perfectly clear, in the first place, that the constitution of the United States did not, of it... LYSANDER SPOONER If the jury have no right to judge of the justice of a law of the government, they plainly can do no... LYSANDER SPOONER All governments, the worst on earth, and the most tyrannical on earth, are free governments to that ... LYSANDER SPOONER There can be no criminal intent in resisting injustice. LYSANDER SPOONER All legitimate government is a mutual insurance company, voluntarily agreed upon by the parties to i... LYSANDER SPOONER Any number of scoundrels, having money enough to start with, can establish themselves as a 'gove... LYSANDER SPOONER All know the importance of sustaining the hopes of a sick man. The reason of this is that his nervou... LYSANDER SPOONER There is not, in the Constitution, a syllable that implies that persons, born within the territorial... LYSANDER SPOONER The mere toleration of the slave trade could not make slavery itself - the right of property in man ... LYSANDER SPOONER Slavery, if it can be legalized at all, can be legalized only by positive legislation. Natural law g... LYSANDER SPOONER If any man's money can be taken by a so-called government, without his own personal consent, all... LYSANDER SPOONER That no government, so called, can reasonably be trusted, or reasonably be supposed to have honest p... LYSANDER SPOONER It cannot be said that the Constitution formed 'the people of the United States,' for all ti... LYSANDER SPOONER The trial by jury is a trial by 'the country,' in contradistinction to a trial by the govern... LYSANDER SPOONER The right and the physical power of the people to resist injustice, are really the only securities t... LYSANDER SPOONER The only security men can have for their political liberty, consists in keeping their money in their... LYSANDER SPOONER Lysander when handing over the command of the fleet to
Callicratidas, the Spartan, said to him, "I ... LYSANDER Where the lion's skin falls short it must be eked out with the
fox's. LYSANDER In contrast to all prior hypotheses of multiple origins of the cultivated potato, we have identified... DAVID SPOONER We thought too much. Because while hatred is a fire only man feels, he does not hate the beast ... MEAGAN SPOONER It is impossible not to react to the current state of affairs through personal action and artistic p... CASEY SPOONER She moves like beauty, she whispers to us of wind and forest—and she tells us stories, such storie... MEAGAN SPOONER It is impossible not react to the current state of affairs through personal action and artistic prod... CASEY SPOONER We have had extremely productive discussions over the last two days and I am hopeful that we can wra... DAVID SPOONER We're inches apart yet worlds away. MEAGAN SPOONER Writer's block' is just a fancy way of saying 'I don't feel like doing any work today. MEAGAN SPOONER None of this was what held Yeva's gaze. Because in the bottom of the valley, straddling the river ne... MEAGAN SPOONER Fire cannot hurt us. And yet, when we light her a lantern, there is a moment as we watch the wick fl... MEAGAN SPOONER Her thoughts came to life in the stillness of the wood, nurtured by the air and the scent and the vi... MEAGAN SPOONER The weight of rages will press hard upon the employer. WILLIAM ARCHIBALD SPOONER Sir, you have tasted two whole worms; you have hissed all my mystery lectures and been caught figh... REV. W. A. SPOONER