---
title: "Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the c… — John Acton Quote #12 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the common pretext of crime... — a quote by John Acton."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # Liberty, next to religion has been the motive of good deeds and the common pretext of crime...

[John Acton](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton)\#12

Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

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## More from John Acton

1. > The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks.

[Permalink to quote \#11](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/11/ "Permalink to quote 11")
2. > At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare, and its triumphs have been due to minorities, that have prevailed by associating themselves with auxili…

[Permalink to quote \#13](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/13/ "Permalink to quote 13")
3. > Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being.

[Permalink to quote \#10](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/10/ "Permalink to quote 10")

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