W. E. B. Du Bois Quote 

"It is the growing custom to narrow control,
concentrate power, disregard and disfranchise the public;
and assuming that certain powers by divine right
of money-raising or by sheer assumption,
have the power to do as they think best
without consulting the wisdom of mankind."

by:
W. E. B. Du Bois
(1868-1963) Professor, Civil Rights Activist, NAACP Founding Member
Source:
The Autobiography of W.E.B. Du Bois
Categories:
 
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Reader comments about this quote:
He was a Communist!! Why in heck would he merit inclusion in a liberty quote?
 -- Mark, Petersham		 
I think Mark, Petersham should read "At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America" by Philip Dray. He might, just might, come to another opinion. I hope so. Kindest Regards
 -- Alastair, Vettre, Norway		 
Whether the centralization is done in the name of Liberty or Socialism, concentrating the power of nation into the hands of a few sets the stage for totalitarianism.
 -- E Archer, NYC		 
Mark--- You are the reason why Du Bois' civil rights activism career was put to a hault, i am ashamed that people such as yourself are still around; he was a pioneer to the civil rights movement and one of the greatest intellectuals of his time, patrotic and did more for the african american race than any other leader, but yet his favor towards communism was a righteous one given situational factors, please read the book which the quote came from.
 -- Jesse O'Shea, Tampa		 
 -- Anonymous 
Centralization and that which is now being touted as 'wisdom' (not) are destroying the freedoms and liberties of all man kind.
 -- Mike, Norwalk		 
Words, words, words. Centralization is bad whether it is "governmnet" or one individual. A powerful capitalist can run rough shod over people just like a powerful government. The word communism at its core can be interpreted as community-ism. Some times community is better than one man rule regardless of how much money he has. .
 -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas		 
I'd rather have a king who leaves me alone than a politburo that "cares" about me. There is one thing a powerful capitalist cannot do: legally force his will on you at the point of a gun.
 -- Ken, Allyn, WA		 
Once on the throne there is little distinction between any of them.
 -- RobertSRQ		 
He get 5 stars for this one, this is the raw truth at it best, to really make us look truthfully at our selves for the very first time......he was right on point
 -- trinity dushon, S.F.,Calif		 
how can you say that he has done alot for his race when he was paid to smear Marcus Garvey as majority of his people where oppressed by no fault of their own and before he died he made alot of money and went back to Africa!
 -- Stephen Bond, Nashville		 
I think my great-grandfather got it exactly right and we can see in the most recent "problems" on Wall Street and in corporate headquarters around the world what kinds of corruption that concentration can cause. C. Wright Mills warned us in "The Power Elite" of similar pitfalls.
 -- Arthur McFarlane II, Denver		 
I agree with Stephen from Nashville. Du Bois was part of the problem. Not only was he paid to smear Garvey but was part of a secret organization to do so. He was an elitist who was blinded by "power" and wealth. Don't be fooled, Obama is in the same vein.
 -- Yahya, Milwaukee		 
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