“Personal publicity of every kind is utterly distasteful to me, and I have made greater efforts to escape it than most people make to get it.” PeopleKindMadeEffortGreaterPublicityDistasteful Author:Albert J. Nock
“The practical reason for freedom is that freedom seems to be the only condition under which any kind of substantial moral fiber can be developed - we have tried law, compulsion and authoritarianism of various kinds, and the result is nothing to be proud of.” KindReasonSeemsLawResultsMoralConditionsProudVariousPracticalsBe ProudCompulsionAuthoritarianismFiberMoral Fiber Author:Albert J. Nock
“It would seem that in Paine's view the code of government should be that of the legendary King Pausole, who prescribed but two laws for his subjects, the first being, Hurt no man, and the second, Then do as you please.” MenShouldFirstsTwoSeemsGovernmentLawHurtViewsSubjectsKingsPleaseCodeLegendaryBeing HurtPaine Author:Albert J. Nock
“We have two distinct types of political organization to take into account; and clearly, too, when their origins are considered, it is impossible to make out that the one is a mere perversion of the other. Therefore when we include both types under a general term like government, we get into logical difficulties; difficulties of which most writers on the subject have been more or less vaguely aware, but which, until within the last half-century, none of them has tried to resolve.” Has BeensTwoGovernmentLastsPoliticalTermHalfImpossibleSubjectsCenturyTypeOrganizationAccountsDifficultyMereLogicalResolvePerversionMake Out Author:Albert J. Nock
“The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that accrues to society's advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.” DoeSelfStatesMovingPurposeSocialAdvantagePressureHeavyInitiativeSprungAnti SocialAlacrity Author:Albert J. Nock
“If the modern spirit, whatever that may be, is disinclined towards taking the Lord's word at its face value (as I hear is the case), we may observe that Isaiah's testimony to the character of the masses has strong collateral support from respectable Gentile authority. Plato lived into the administration of Eubulus, when Athens was at the peak of its jazz-and-paper era, and he speaks of the Athenian masses with all Isaiah's fervency, even comparing them to a herd of ravenous wild beasts.” IfsMayCharacterFacesSpiritValuesSpeakStrongLordCasesSupportModernAuthorityPaperMassJazzAdministrationErasCompareBeastPlatoTestimonyRespectableHerdsAthensWild BeastsGentilesCollateralFace ValueAthenians Author:Albert J. Nock
“It is certainly true that whatever a man may do or say, the most significant thing about him is what he thinks; and significant also is how he came to think it, why he continued to think it, or, if he did not continue, what the influences were which caused him to change his mind.” IfsThinkingMenMindMayInfluenceSignificantSignificant Things Author:Albert J. Nock
“Above all things the mass-mind is most bitterly resentful of superiority. It will not tolerate the thought of an elite; and under a political system of universal suffrage, the mass-mind is enabled to make its antipathies prevail.” MindPoliticalMassAll ThingsUniversalElitesTolerateSuperiorityPolitical SystemsSuffrageResentfulAntipathyUniversal Suffrage Author:Albert J. Nock
“By consequence I hold that no one ever did, or can do, anything for "society."... Comte invented the term altruism as an antonym for egoism, and it found its way at once into everyone's mouth, although it is utterly devoid of meaning, since it points to nothing that ever existed in mankind; This hybrid or rather this degenerate form of hedonism served powerfully to invest collectivism's principles with a specious moral sanction, and collectivists naturally made the most of it.” WayMadeFormFoundTermCan DoMoralPrinciplesMankindMouthsConsequenceAltruismSanctionsEgoismCollectivismDegeneratesHybridHedonism Author:Albert J. Nock
“According to my observations, mankind are among the most easily tamable and domesticable of all creatures in the animal world. They are readily reducible to submission, so readily conditionable (to coin a word) as to exhibit an almost incredibly enduring patience under restraint and oppression of the most flagrant character. So far are they from displaying any overweening love of freedom that they show a singular contentment with a condition of servitorship, often showing a curious canine pride in it, and again often simply unaware that they are existing in that condition.” WorldCharacterShowsAnimalConditionsMankindPrideCreaturesEndureOppressionObservationCuriousContentmentRestraintCoinsSubmissionExhibitsCanineAnimal World Author:Albert J. Nock