William Godwin Quotes

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• Above all we should not forget, that government is an evil, an usurpation upon the private judgment and individual conscience of mankind.

  William Godwin

  Government, Evil, Judgement

  "An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness".

  32 Copy quote

• Whenever government assumes to deliver us from the trouble of thinking for ourselves, the only consequences it produces are those of torpor and imbecility.

  William Godwin

  Thinking, Government, Assuming

  William Godwin (1793). “An enquiry concerning political justice, and its influence on general virtue and happiness”, p.143

  52 Copy quote

• He that loves reading has everything within his reach.

  William Godwin

  Inspirational, Education, Book

  William Godwin (1797). “The Enquirer: Reflections on Education, Manners and Literature, in a Series of Essays”, p.31

  57 Copy quote

• 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, Purpose

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness: By William Godwin”, p.337

  57 Copy quote

• The wise man is satisfied with nothing.

  William Godwin

  Wise, Men, Satisfied

  23 Copy quote

• No man must encroach upon my province, nor I upon his. He may advise me, moderately and without pertinaciousness, but he must not expect to dictate to me. He may censure me freely and without reserve; but he should remember that I am to act by my deliberation and not his. I ought to exercise my talents for the benefit of others; but that exercise must be the fruit of my own conviction; no man must attempt to press me into the service.

  William Godwin

  Exercise, Men, Atheism

  William Godwin, Kay Codell Carter (1971). “Enquiry concerning political justice: with selections from Godwin's other writings”, Clarendon Press

  7 Copy quote

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

  William Godwin

  Pregnancy, Revolution, Tyranny

  36 Copy quote

• Government can have no more than two legitimate purposes - the suppression of injustice against individuals within the community, and the common defense against external invasion.

  William Godwin

  Government, Two, Community

  William Godwin (2015). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence On Morals And Happiness”, p.466, Penguin UK

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  Wise, Wisdom, Men

  William Godwin (1796). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness”, p.261

  14 Copy quote

• Perfectibility is one of the most unequivocal characteristics of the human species.

  William Godwin

  Characteristics, Unequivocal, Humans

  'An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Political Justice' (1793) bk. 1, ch. 2

  8 Copy quote

• If there be such a thing as truth, it must infallibly be struck out by the collision of mind with mind.

  William Godwin

  Mind, Collision, Ifs

  William Godwin (2000). “Caleb Williams”, p.25, Broadview Press

  7 Copy quote

• The great model of the affection of love in human beings is the sentiment which subsists between parents and children.

  William Godwin

  Children, Parent, Sentimental

  William Godwin (1831). “Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions, and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the Author”, p.274

  25 Copy quote

• The proper method for hastening the decay of error, is not, by brute force, or by regulation which is one of the classes of force, to endeavour to reduce men to intellectual uniformity; but on the contrary by teaching every man to think for himself.

  William Godwin

  Teaching, Men, Thinking

  William Godwin, Luke White (bookseller.) (1793). “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness”, p.375

  15 Copy quote

• Hereditary wealth is in reality a premium paid to idleness.

  William Godwin

  Reality, Wealth, Premium

  William Godwin (1793). “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness”, p.804

  5 Copy quote

• Duty is that mode of action on the part of the individual which constitutes the best possible application of his capacity to the general benefit.

  William Godwin

  Benefits, Action, Individual

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness: By William Godwin”, p.156

  6 Copy quote

• God himself has no right to be a tyrant.

  William Godwin

  Tyrants, Religion

  William Godwin (1890). “Godwin's "Political Justice.": A Reprint of the Essay on "Property," from the Original Edition”

  19 Copy quote

• 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, Justice

  William Godwin (1793). “An enquiry concerning political justice, and its influence on general virtue and happiness”, p.417

  16 Copy quote

• If ever there was a book calculated to make a man in love with its author, this appears to me to be the book.

  William Godwin

  Book, Men, Ifs

  William Godwin (1798). “Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”, p.133

  11 Copy quote

• 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

  Men, Atheism, Flow

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness: By William Godwin”, p.167

  13 Copy quote

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

  William Godwin

  Love Is, Cases, Understood

  William Godwin (1831). “Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions, and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the Author”, p.274

  8 Copy quote

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

  William Godwin

  Passion, Revolution, Quiet

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness”, p.244

  23 Copy quote

• As long as parents and teachers in general shall fall under the established rule, it is clear that politics and modes of government will educate and infect us all. They poison our minds, before we can resist, or so much as suspect their malignity. Like the barbarous directors of the Eastern seraglios, they deprive us of our vitality, and fit us for their despicable employment from the cradle.

  William Godwin

  Teacher, Fall, Government

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on Morals and Happiness”, p.49

  17 Copy quote

• To conceive that compulsion and punishment are the proper means of reformation is the sentiment of a barbarian.

  William Godwin

  Mean, Punishment, Barbarians

  William Godwin (1798). “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness: By William Godwin”, p.373

  19 Copy quote

• The first duty of man is to take none of the principles of conduct upon trust; to do nothing without a clear and individual conviction that it is right to be done.

  William Godwin

  Men, Principles, Done

  William Godwin (1793). “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice: And Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness”, p.597

  18 Copy quote

• All education is despotism. It is perhaps impossible for the young to be conducted without introducing in many cases the tyranny implicit in obedience. Go there; do that; read; write; rise; lie down - will perhaps forever be the language addressed to youth by age.

  William Godwin

  Lying, Writing, Forever

  William Godwin (1823). “The enquirer. Reflections on education, manners, and literature. In a series of essays”, p.53

  12 Copy quote

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