« 1F U C4N R34D 7H15 | Main | Smoke 'em if ya got 'em: Ex-Chancellor 'hoards 38,000 cigarettes' »

July 11, 2013

"Most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late"

The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt. It is no good to cry out after you are hurt. People talk about the impatience of the populace; but sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late. It is often necessary to resist a tyranny before it exists. It is no answer to say, with a distant optimism, that the scheme is only in the air. A blow from a hatchet can only be parried while it is in the air. -- G K Chesterton, Eugenics and Other Evils

Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 11, 2013 9:16 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. - Thomas Jefferson

Posted by: tim at July 12, 2013 6:25 AM

Chesterton described what the American mentality was in the late 18th century. They rebelled before real tyranny could set in. I wish that were more widely understood today.

Posted by: Don Rodrigo at July 12, 2013 9:14 AM

Surprise favors the attacker.

No time to get ready, got to be ready.

Posted by: chasmatic at July 12, 2013 9:17 AM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)