William Godwin Quotes

If he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is weak.
William Godwin

Strong, Doubt, Against

Above all we should not forget that government is an evil, a usurpation upon the private judgement and individual conscience of mankind.
William Godwin

Government, Forget, Evil

The execution of any thing considerable implies in the first place previous persevering meditation.
William Godwin

Place, Meditation, Execution

Every man has a certain sphere of discretion which he has a right to expect shall not be infringed by his neighbours. This right flows from the very nature of man.
William Godwin

Nature, Expect, Shall

He that loves reading has everything within his reach.
William Godwin

Everything, Reading, Within

Justice is the sum of all moral duty.
William Godwin

Justice, Moral, Duty

Let us not, in the eagerness of our haste to educate, forget all the ends of education.
William Godwin

Education, Forget, Ends

Perseverance is an active principle, and cannot continue to operate but under the influence of desire.
William Godwin

Cannot, Desire, Influence

Revolution is engendered by an indignation with tyranny, yet is itself pregnant with tyranny.
William Godwin

Revolution, Tyranny, Pregnant

Revolutions are the produce of passion, not of sober and tranquil reason.
William Godwin

Passion, Reason, Sober

The cause of justice is the cause of humanity. Its advocates should overflow with universal good will. We should love this cause, for it conduces to the general happiness of mankind.
William Godwin

Love, Happiness, Good

The diligent scholar is he that loves himself, and desires to have reason to applaud and love himself.
William Godwin

Love, Reason, Himself

What can be more clear and sound in explanation, than the love of a parent to his child?
William Godwin

Love, Child, Parent

What indeed is life, unless so far as it is enjoyed? It does not merit the name.
William Godwin

Life, Far, Name

As the true object of education is not to render the pupil the mere copy of his preceptor, it is rather to be rejoiced in, than lamented, that various reading should lead him into new trains of thinking.
William Godwin

Education, True, Thinking

But the watchful care of the parent is endless. The youth is never free from the danger of grating interference.
William Godwin

Care, Free, Youth

Everything understood by the term co-operation is in some sense an evil.
William Godwin

Evil, Everything, Sense

God himself has no right to be a tyrant.
William Godwin

God, Himself, Tyrant

Government will not fail to employ education, to strengthen its hands, and perpetuate its institutions.
William Godwin

Education, Government, Fail

He has no right to his life when his duty calls him to resign it. Other men are bound... to deprive him of life or liberty, if that should appear in any case to be indispensably necessary to prevent a greater evil.
William Godwin

Life, Men, Evil

If a thing be really good, it can be shown to be such.
William Godwin

In cases where every thing is understood, and measured, and reduced to rule, love is out of the question.
William Godwin

Love, Question, Rule

It is probable that there is no one thing that it is of eminent importance for a child to learn.
William Godwin

Learn, Child, Importance

Learning is the ally, not the adversary of genius... he who reads in a proper spirit, can scarcely read too much.
William Godwin

Learning, Genius, Read

Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.
William Godwin

Men, Power, Wise

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Biography

Nationality: English

Type: Writer

Born: March 3, 1756

Died: April 7, 1836

Links

Find on Amazon: William Godwin

Cite this Page: Citation

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