W. Somerset Maugham Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"There are two good things in life --
freedom of thought and freedom of action."

by:	W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
Source:	Of Human Bondage, 1915
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Categories:	Freedom, Liberty
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Reader comments about this quote:

-- Henry Cole, Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Good general headings and a great start to a more exhaustive list, for example; freedom to "be" (secure in papers, property, and life, to be left alone, etc. - actions derive from the 'be') -- Mike, Norwalk
This quote is in the same spirit of the Diefenbaker quote of yesterday. . . "Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong." . . . Except this one doesn't deny us the right to "DO" what we want without permission of the state or God. -- Walter Clark, Fullerton CA
Mike, I'm troubled by your use of the phrase "secure in". It smacks of positive rights; something that is to be provided. That doesn't sound like you. It also bothers me that you imply there's more than the examples you gave. The rights associated with the spirit of this website are negative rights; prohibitions against the state. Negative rights don't cost anything to provide because they are not provisions. They are constraints. If you think that others in the list of security to be provided include secure from fear and secure from want, then you are on the wrong website. -- Walter Clark, Fullerton CA
Mike, you got it right. -- jim k, austin tx
Walter, thanks for the observation. You were mostly correct about me (it doesn't sound like me). I believe all rights are expressions of the 'be'. Rights are inalienable, they can neither be provided or taken away. To secure these rights, our representatives can do nothing we can not do for ourselves personally. Governments have no rights but, duties only. I have the right to secure my own rights, freedom. liberty, etc. To provide rights, are no rights at all, it is tyranny. The subject matter of being secure from fear and want fall within a category of moral relativism and/or religion, not to be legislated in a free society. Your use of 'positive' rights falls within the generally accepted scope of legal positivism's 'positive law' (man made law vs. natural law). 'Positive law' also had an early use in natural law which simply meant: the 'law' was an accurate definition of that which is (I haven't seen the natural law use lately from anybody but me). Your 'negative' rights is in the same vain as Bastiat's philosophical premise (so you are in very good company there - very understandable in today's atmosphere). -- Mike, Norwalk
Walter opps, I didn't answer all your question. Another right is to posses or own, at my own making / doing / thinking, etc. the means to execute my other rights (a varied collection of regulations (arms - while not volunteering in an immediate military experience; a hammer and saw to provide [act] the where-with-all to survive) -- Mike, Norwalk
Mike, Good points. Love my daily dose of wisdom from Liberty-Tree. If you aren't the owner of this wonderful website, do you know who is? Do you know? -- Walter Clark, Fullerton CA
I am not the owner of this wonderful website, Eric does a fantastic service. I have never met, nor do I know Eric personally but, he does pop in from time to time. -- Mike, Norwalk
-- Remie a. Pesebre, Philippines

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