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He who let's the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation

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The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.

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All that has been said of the importance of individuality of character, and diversity in opinions andmodes of conduct, involves, as of the same unspea...more

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Society can and does execute its own mandates: and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to...more

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The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the w...more

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If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that ...more

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We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.

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The greater part of the world has, properly speaking, no history, because the despotism of Custom is complete. This is the case over the whole East. C...more

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Whoever fails in the consideration generally due to the interests and feelings of others, not being compelled by some more imperative duty, or justifi...more

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How will the remaining portion of the community like to have the amusements that shall be permitted to them regulated by the religious and moral senti...more

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Even despotism does not produce its worst effects, so long as individuality exists under it; and whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whate...more

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A person whose desires and impulses are his own—are the expression of his own nature, as it has been developed and modified by his own culture—is said...more

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The will of the people, moreover, practically means the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people; the majority, or those who su...more

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Human beings are no longer born to their place in life, and chained down by an inexorable bond to the place they are born to, but are free to employ t...more