Men being born with a title to perfect freedom and uncontrolled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law of nature... no one can be put out of his estate and subjected to the political view of another, without his consent.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Penn states that no one can be forced into political submission without their consent.
- In plain terms
- People are born free and cannot lose rights without agreeing to it.
- What can you take from it?
- Consent is required for political authority.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does freedom end?
- How is consent given?
Another view
Consent is hard to verify in large populations.
More from William Penn
There is one great God and power that has made the world and all things therein, to whom you and I and all people owe their being and well-being, and to whom y…
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