Home / Quotes / Quote by Pope Leo XIII

Quote by Pope Leo XIII

“Every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own. This is one of the chief points of distinction between man and the animal creation.”

Quote by Pope Leo XIII

Book:A Light in the Heavens: Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII

Work

A Light in the Heavens: Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII

A comprehensive collection of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical letters, this book delves into the teachings and insights of one of the most influential pontiffs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including social justice, religious freedom, and the role of the Church in modern society. more

Author

Pope Leo XIII (born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci) served as the 256th Pope of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, making him one of the longest-reigning popes in history. Born on March 2, 1810, in Carpineto, Italy, he died on July 20, 1903, in Rome. He is renowned for establishing modern Catholic social teaching through his landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), which addressed workers' rights and became a foundation of Catholic social doctrine. Leo XIII promoted Thomistic philosophy and worked to reconcile the Catholic Church with the modern world. more

You May Also Like

“With reason, then, the common opinion of mankind, little affected by the few dissentients who have contended for the opposite view, has found in the careful study of nature, and in the laws of nature, the foundations of the division of property, and the practice of all ages has consecrated the principle of private ownership, as being pre-eminently in conformity with human nature, and as conducing in the most unmistakable manner to the peace and tranquility of human existence.”

“It is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal. The first and most fundamental principle, therefore, if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property.”

Source: A Light in the Heavens: Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII

“We have seen that this great labor question cannot be solved save by assuming as a principle that private ownership must be held sacred and inviolable. The law, therefore, should favor ownership, and its policy should be to induce as many as possible of the people to become owners.”

People Should Wisdom Law Politics Principles Economy Policy Labor Sacred Assuming Favors Liberalism Owners Ownership

Book:The Pope and the People: Select Letters and Addresses on Social Questions

Source: The Pope and the People: Select Letters and Addresses on Social Questions

“For when men know they are working on what belongs to them, they work with far greater eagerness and diligence. Nay, in a word, they learn to love the land cultivated by their own hands, whence they look not only for food but for some measure of abundance for themselves and their dependents. All can see how much this willing eagerness contributes to an abundance of produce and the wealth of a nation.”

Knows Men Looks Hands Politics Nations Wealth Economy Greater Land Produce Willing Abundance Liberalism Diligence Eagerness

Book:On the Condition of Workers

Source: On the Condition of Workers

“Therefore those governing the State ought primarily to devote themselves to the service of individual groups and of the whole commonwealth, and through the entire scheme of laws and institutions to cause both public and individual well-being to develop spontaneously out of the very structure and administration of the state.”

Wells States Whole Wisdom Law Politics Individual Causes Economy Groups Ought Institutions Structure Administration Well Being Liberalism Schemes Governing Commonwealth

Book:On the Condition of Workers

Source: On the Condition of Workers

“Whoso turns his attention to the bitter strifes of these days and seeks a reason for the troubles that vex public and private life must come to the conclusion that a fruitful cause of the evils which now afflict, as well as of those which threaten us, lies in this: that false conclusions concerning divine and human things, which originated in the schools of philosophy, have crept into all the orders of the state, and have been accepted by the common consent of the masses.”

“In the course of the twenty-first century what may be called the "capital wage" could be added to the labor wage and the social wage, so that middle-class Americans - not merely an affluent minority - might derive income from three sources rather than just two.”

Firsts May Two Wisdom Might Three Courses Politics Social Class Economy Middle Century Source Labor Twenties Income Liberalism Minorities Middle Class Affluent

Author:Michael Lind

“It has been the fashion to speak of the conflict between human rights and property rights, and from this it has come to be widely believed that the use of private property is tainted with evil and should not be espoused by rational and civilized men... the only dependable foundation of personal liberty is the personal economic security of private property. The Good Society.”

“There are but three political-economic roads from which we can choose... We could take the first course and further exacerbate the already concentrated ownership of productive capital in the American economy. Or we could join the rest of the world by taking the second path, that of nationalization. Or we can take the third road, establishing policies to diffuse capital ownership broadly, so that many individuals, particularly workers, can participate as owners of industrial capital. The choice is ours.”

World Firsts Political Choices Three Courses Politics Individual Economy Path Economic Policy Thirds Workers Liberalism Productive Owners Ownership American Economy

Author:Russell B. Long

“Bring on those tired, labor-plagued, competition-weary companies and ESOP will breathe new life into them. They will find ESOP better than Geritol. It will revitalize what is wrong with capitalism. It will increase productivity. It will improve labor relations. It will promote economic justice. It will save the economic system. It will make our form of government and our concept of freedom prevail over those who don't agree with us.”