John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Millwas an English philosopher, political economist, feminist, and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism, he contributed widely to social theory, political theory and political economy. He has been called "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century." Mill's conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth20 May 1806
amount character courage generally mental society strength
Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character had abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and courage which it contained.
happiness
Unquestionably, it is possible to do without happiness; it is done involuntarily by nineteen-twentieths of mankind.
chance creature free kept men miserable personal unless willing
The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
positive-thinking fruit originality
All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.
individuality earth salt
But these few are the salt of the earth; without them, human life would become a stagnant pool. Not only is it they who introduce good things which did not before exist, it is they who keep the life in those which already existed.
agnostic duty dissent
The time appears to me to have come when it is the duty of all to make their dissent from religion known.
survival flavor certain
Life has a certain flavor for those who have fought and risked all that the sheltered and protected can never experience.
humanity obedience capable
All the good of which humanity is capable is comprised in obedience.
selfishness next causes
Next to selfishness the principal cause which makes life unsatisfactory is want of mental cultivation.
advancement standing-alone despotism
The despotism of custom is everywhere the standing hindrance to human advancement.
overcoming advancement obstacles
The perpetual obstacle to human advancement is custom.
stifle sure
We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion; and even if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.