On Liberty

It was now perceived that such phrases as “self-government”, and “the power of the people over themselves,” do not express the true state of the case. The “people” who exercise the power are not always the same people with those over whom it is exercised; and the “self-government” spoken of is not the government of each by himself, but of each by all the rest. The will of the people, moreover, practically means, the will of the most numerous or most active part of the people; the majority, or those who succeed in making themselves accepted as the majority; the people, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are as much needed against this, or against any other abuse of power. The limitation, therefore, of the Power of government over individuals, loses one of its importance when the holders of power are regularly accountable to the community, that is, to the strongest party therein.

Customs are made for customary circumstances and customary characters.

A state which dwarfs his men, in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished; and that the perfection of machinery to which it has sacrificed everything, will in the avail for it nothing, for want of the vital power which, in order that the machine might work more smoothly, it was preferred to banish.