The liberty of the individual is a necessary postulate of human progress.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Individual liberty is essential for human advancement.
- In plain terms
- People need freedom to make progress.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize individual freedom in societal progress.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much freedom is needed?
- Does liberty hinder cooperation?
Another view
Progress can sometimes require collective action over individual choice.
More from Ernest Renan
The greatest men of a nation are those it puts to death.
Permalink to quote #14 The simplest schoolboy is now familiar with truths for which Archimedes would have sacrificed his life.
Permalink to quote #16 Religion is not a popular error; it is a great instinctive truth, sensed by the people, expressed by the people.
Permalink to quote #13
Related quotes
A policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.
Friedrich HayekFriedrich Hayek quote #131 Individual liberty is individual power, and as the power of a community is a mass compounded of individual powers, the nation which enjoys the most freedom mus…
John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams quote #3 Here the free spirit of mankind, at length, Throws its last fetters off; and who shall place A limit to the giant's unchained strength, Or curb his swiftness i…
William Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen Bryant quote #4