John Stuart Mill Quotes About Mankind

Quotes about: Mankind

• If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.

  John Stuart Mill

  Freedom, Philosophy, Differences

  On Liberty ch. 2 (1859)

• The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.

  John Stuart Mill

  Spiritual, Freedom, Health

  John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, John Troyer (2003). “The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill”, p.160, Hackett Publishing

• Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.

  John Stuart Mill

  Equality, Tolerance, Suffering

  John Stuart Mill (1864). “On Liberty”, p.27

• Political Economy, in truth, has never pretended to give advice to mankind with no lights but its own; though people who knew nothing but political economy (and therefore knew it ill) have taken upon themselves to advise, and could only do so by such lights as they had.

  John Stuart Mill

  Taken, Light, People

  John Stuart Mill (2015). “Autobiography of John Stuart Mill”, p.128, Sheba Blake Publishing

• No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.

  John Stuart Mill

  Change, Thinking, Fundamentals

  'Autobiography' (1873) ch. 7

• Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.

  John Stuart Mill

  Happiness, Art, Mean

  John Stuart Mill (2017). “The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism, The Subjection of Women, On Liberty, Principles of Political Economy, A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive, Memoirs…”, p.3190, e-artnow

• The general tendency of things throughout the world is to render mediocrity the ascendant power among mankind.

  John Stuart Mill

  Inspiration, Power, Mediocrity

  John Stuart Mill (2012). “On Liberty”, p.55, Courier Corporation

• The reasons for legal intervention in favour of children apply not less strongly to the case of those unfortunate slaves and victims of the most brutal part of mankind - the lower animals.

  John Stuart Mill

  Children, Animal, Favour

  John Stuart Mill, Stephen Nathanson (1875). “Principles of Political Economy (Abridged): With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy”, p.291, Hackett Publishing

• So natural to mankind is intolerance ... that religious freedom has hardly anywhere been practically realized.

  John Stuart Mill

  Religious, Atheism, Natural

  John Stuart Mill, Charles W. Elliott, Patrick Hayden (2004). “On Liberty”, p.8, Barnes & Noble Publishing

• It is useful that while mankind are imperfect there should be different opinions, so is it that there should be different experiments of living; that free scope should be given to varieties of character, short of injury to others.

  John Stuart Mill

  Character, Different Opinions, Imperfect

  "On Liberty: Mill's Works".

• History shows that great economic and social forces flow like a tide over communities only half conscious of that which is befalling them. Wise statesmen foresee what time is thus bringing, and try to shape institutions and mold men's thoughts and purposes in accordance with the change that is silently coming on. The unwise are those who bring nothing constructive to the process, and who greatly imperil the future of mankind by leaving great questions to be fought out between ignorant change on one hand and ignorant opposition to change on the other.

  John Stuart Mill

  Wise, Men, Hands

• No longer enslaved or made dependent by force of law, the great majority are so by force of property; they are still chained to a place, to an occupation, and to conformity with the will of an employer, and debarred by the accident of birth to both the enjoyments, and from the mental and moral advantages, which others inherit without exertion and independently of desert. That this is an evil equal to almost any of those against which mankind have hitherto struggles, the poor are not wrong in believing.

  John Stuart Mill

  Believe, Struggle, Law

  John Stuart Mill (2016). “Socialism: Mill's Works”, p.5, VM eBooks

• The majority, being satisfied with the ways of mankind as they now are (for it is they who make them what they are), cannot comprehend why those ways should not be good enough for everybody; and what is more, spontaneity forms no part of the ideal of the majority of moral and social reformers, but is rather looked on with jealousy, as a troublesome and perhaps rebellious obstruction to the general acceptance of what these reformers, in their own judgment, think would be best for mankind.

  John Stuart Mill

  Acceptance, Thinking, Atheism

  John Stuart Mill (1989). “J. S. Mill: 'On Liberty' and Other Writings”, p.101, Cambridge University Press

• The ne plus ultra of wickedness ... is embodied in what is commonly presented to mankind as the creed of Christianity.

  John Stuart Mill

  Religious, Evil, Religion

  "Autobiography John Stuart Mill: Top Biography".

• As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.

  John Stuart Mill

  Fighting, Long, Justice

  John Stuart Mill (2009). “The Contest in America”, p.35, Cosimo, Inc.

• Unfortunately for the good sense of mankind, the fact of their fallibility is far from carrying the weight in their practical judgement, which is always allowed to it in theory; for while every one well knows himself to be fallible, few think it necessary to take any precautions against their own fallibility.

  John Stuart Mill

  Thinking, Judgement, Weight

  John Stuart Mill (2015). “On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays”, p.78, OUP Oxford

• I have a hundred times heard him say, that all ages and nations have represented their gods as wicked, in a constantly increasing progression; that mankind have gone on adding trait after trait till they reached the most perfect conception of wickedness which the human mind could devise, and have called this God, and prostrated themselves before it.

  John Stuart Mill

  Perfect, Mind, Wicked

  John Stuart Mill (2017). “John Stuart Mill: Life, Life Lessons & Achievements: Childhood and Early Education, Moral Influences in Early Youth, Youthful Propagandism, Completion of the "System of Logic", Publication of the "Principles of Political Economy", Parliamentary Life”, p.25, Madison & Adams

• The great writers to whom the world owes what religious liberty it possesses, have mostly asserted freedom of conscience as an indefeasible right, and denied absolutely that a human being is accountable to others for his religious belief. Yet so natural to mankind is intolerance in whatever they really care about, that religious freedom has hardly anywhere been practically realised, except where religious indifference, which dislikes to have its peace disturbed by theological quarrels, has added its weight to the scale.

  John Stuart Mill

  Religious, Tolerance, Religion

  John Stuart Mill (2016). “On Liberty: Mill's Works”, p.17, VM eBooks

• The laws and conditions of the production of wealth partake of the character of physical truths. There is nothing optional or arbitrary in them ... It is not so with the Distribution of Wealth. That is a matter of human institution solely. The things once there, mankind, individually or collectively, can do with them as they like.

  John Stuart Mill

  Truth, Character, Science

  John Stuart Mill “Principles of Political Economy: Abridged with Critical, Bibliographical and Explanatory Notes and a Sketch of the History of Political Economy”, Library of Alexandria

• The fatal tendency of mankind to leave off thinking about a thing when it is no longer doubtful is the cause of half their errors.

  John Stuart Mill

  Thinking, Errors, Individuality

  On Liberty ch. 2 (1859)

• There is one characteristic of the present direction of public opinion, peculiarly calculated to make it intolerant of any marked demonstration of individuality. The general average of mankind are not only moderate in intellect, but also moderate in inclinations: they have no tastes or wishes strong enough to incline them to do anything unusual, and they consequently do not understand those who have, and class all such with the wild and intemperate whom they are accustomed to look down upon.

  John Stuart Mill

  Strong, Average, Class

  John Stuart Mill (1989). “J. S. Mill: 'On Liberty' and Other Writings”, p.69, Cambridge University Press

• Political Economy as a branch of science is extremely modern; but the subject with which its enquiries are conversant has in all ages necessarily constituted one of the chief practical interests of mankind.

  John Stuart Mill

  Political, Age, Enquiry

  John Stuart Mill (1866). “Principles of Political Economy: With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy”, p.1

• If religious belief be indeed so necessary to mankind, as we are continually assured that it is, there is great reason to lament, that the intellectual grounds of it should require to be backed by moral bribery or subornation of the understanding.

  John Stuart Mill

  Religious, Understanding, Intellectual

  John Stuart Mill (1874). “Nature, the Utility of Religion, and Theism”, p.71

• Hardly any original thoughts on mental or social subjects ever make their way among mankind or assume their proper importance in the minds even of their inventors, until aptly selected words or phrases have as it were nailed them down and held them fast.

  John Stuart Mill

  Mind, Phrases, Original Thought

  John Stuart Mill (1858). “A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive: Being a Connected View of the Principles of Evidence and the Methods of Scientific Investigation”, p.426

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