Henry David Thoreau Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"That government is best which governs least."

by:	Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American author, poet, philosopher, polymath, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and transcendentalist
Source:	Civil Disobedience (1849)
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Categories:	Bureaucracy, Civil Rights, Constitution, Government, Proverbs, Restraint, Tyranny, Usurpation, Virtue, Wisdom
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Reader comments about this quote:

I love this quote. It is from a man who stood for what he believed and voiced his opinion strongly. -- Leigh, Central 1
this quote truly talks about a man who stood for what he believed. -- Anonymous, can not say 1
Too bad most American's are looking for a hand-out. If they only believed this they would want to limit this Goverment Like I do! Yeah Obama, let's lower our standard of living to match that of Europe! One bright idea after another. -- Big E Johnson, Vegas 1
-- Logan, Memphis, TN
-- Mike, Norwalk
I love the quote... but wasn't it Thomas Jefferson who said: 'The government who governs least governs best.''? -- Katherine, Texas 1
You are right Katherine. -- cal, lewisville, tx
Tell that to that bunch of socialists running( ruining ) the country today. -- jim k, austin 1
-- jim k, austin
The quote is often attributed to either Jefferson or Thomas Paine, but it is actually Thoreau that said it in his work "Civil Disobedience"... an excellent read, btw... http://www.monticello.org/library/reference/spurious.html -- Logan, Memphis, TN 1
-- warren, olathe
The self government is best that governs himself the most. -- Anon 1
And when we are ready for it, that will be the government we have. -- E Archer, NYC 1
George Washington said "Government is not reason or eloquence. It is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master." Let us recognize that culture is based on freedom, while government is based on force. It follows that government should only be used to protect our rights, as a defense against aggression and emergencies. -- Allen Weingarten, Monroe Township, NJ 1
For "freedom", by necessity, "WHAT" is governed (topic boundries at nature's law) is inherent in "what governs least" -- Mike,, Norwalk 1
This is one of the few times I disagree with Mr Thoreau in that I don't agree with the governing process being demonized or alienating ourselves from its proceedings. We the People are the government and we must learn our respective individual obligations for our community's guidance and direction. Eight billions brains should be better than one. -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 2
Thoreau is neither demonizing government nor alienating ourselves from it. A million ignorances do not constitute one truth. True 'self-government' starts with governing yourself and limiting what a central government can rule — this is primarily accomplished by keeping our servant government within its limited boundaries and taking personal responsibility for the condition and quality of one's life. -- E Archer, NYC 1
Mr Archer, you're saying, in my interpretation, that the self governor that govern least governs best. To be our best is all out full time investment, and so it figures that the entwined interrelationship of self and community tells us that the government that governs most governs best, as with the self, to leave us at our best. -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 1

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