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All political arrangements, in that they have to bring a variety of widely-discordant interests into unity and harmony, necessarily occasion manifold collisions. From these collisions spring misproportions between men's desires and their powers; and from these, transgressions. The more active the State is, the greater is the number of these.

Wilhelm von Humboldt#15

SocietyPolicyPoliticsPowerStateInterestsWar

About this quote

What does it mean?
More state activity creates more conflicts between what people want and what they can do.
In plain terms
More government action leads to more conflicts and mistakes.
What can you take from it?
Limit state action to reduce conflict.

Where it applies

  • policy making
  • legislation
  • governance

Putting it to work

  • limit government scope
  • focus on consensus
  • reduce intervention

Questions to consider

  • Does active government help or hinder?
  • How do we reduce societal collisions?

Another view

Some problems require active state intervention to solve.

More from Wilhelm von Humboldt

  1. Freedom exalts power; and, as is always the collateral effect of increasing strength, tends to induce a spirit of liberality. Coercion stifles power, and engen…

    Permalink to quote #14
  2. Every development of truths which relate to human nature, and more especially its active manifestations, is attended with a wish to see worked out in practice …

    Permalink to quote #16
  3. Man is naturally more disposed to beneficent than selfish actions. This we learn even from the history of savages. The domestic virtues have something in them …

    Permalink to quote #13

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