Thucydides Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"For it is a habit of mankind to entrust to careless hope what they long for,
and to use sovereign reason to thrust aside what they do not fancy."

by:	Thucydides [Thoukud�d�s] (c.455-c.400 BC) Greek historian, author of the History of the Peloponnesian War
Source:	History of the Peloponnesian War p. 276� Book 4
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Categories:	Deception, Hope, Populism, Subservience
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Reader comments about this quote:

The careless hope being that if everyone is armed with Glocks and assault weapons that violent crimes will be prevented (War is peace). And that sovereign reason is repeatedly employed to defend a tiny sliver of the constitution that has almost no relevancy in the present day; when flintlocks and bayonets were the technical peak of modern weaponry and attacks by a foreign nation, primarily England, on the newly formed colonies was very real, but has long since passed. Time to start living in the modern world: access to handguns and assault weapons must be severely restricted. -- L. Hanson, Edmonton, Canada 2 3
Hanson, assault weapons are already illegal. And I don't know if you've noticed or paid attention but gun sales are way up in the US and Canada ...and crime is way down. And I won't even bother with the history of what happens to a disarmed people...that should be obvious to anyone with even a basic education of history. Over 100 million people murdered by their own governments in the 20th century alone. No thanks. I won't be carelessly entrusting my hopes to any government. -- J Carlton, Calgary 6
L Hanson, listen carefully as I shall try to make this so plain that even you will understand. Murders and robbery rates are much higher in states and cities with strict gun laws. The opposite is true where folks are allowed to carry guns.I don't know much about Canada but this is abundently clear here in the USA. -- jim k, Austin, Tx 5
A little off topic but what the heck... Some Gun Control Facts! http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/guncontrol.htm 1911 Turkey established gun control. From 1915-1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1929 The Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, approximately 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1935 China established gun control. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1938 Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, 6 to 7 million Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally ill, and 12 million Christians who were unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1956 Cambodia established gun control. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1964 Guatemala established gun control. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. 1970 Uganda established gun control. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. -- J Carlton, Calgary 7
The 'sovereign reason' in this quote refers to the dictates of the king or ruler -- not in the American sense of each person being a sovereign over himself and his property. The 'hope' that the 'sovereign' will take care of us is exactly the problem since dependence upon the state is the primary cause of the nation's ills. As far as guns go, it ought to be remembered that 'hoping' I will not be targeted for assault is a poor substitute for preparing to defend myself. The right to bear arms is merely the application of the inherent right to self-defense. Hanson seems to imply there is no need for self-defense -- all one need do is look around and see that the state is trying to remove all power of the individual and place it in the hands of the faceless bureaucratic state. As Carlton has pointed out, once the people are truly powerless to defend themselves against the theft of the state, it is lights out for a long time. Please remind me which successfully disarmed people are now happy and have received all they hoped for as a result? The primary reason for the 2nd Amendment was to restrict the government's power to raise a standing army -- in today's terms that is 'police state' -- which from Roman times has been the tool of tyrants and dictators for eons. Hanson is powerless, and he's OK with that since he is a loyal subject of the state under their protection and receiving his income from them. I am willing to bet that Hanson does not actually produce anything in his career -- he sounds like a government bureaucrat. -- E Archer, NYC 4
This just in: The following letter, written by U.S. Marine Joshua Boston and headlined No maam., was posted in the CNN iReport on Dec. 27 with the included note from the producer and photo. It has struck a nerve with many and is being circulated around social media venues like Twitter and Facebook. Senator Dianne Feinstein, I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the governments right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You maam have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one. I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America. I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man. I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public. We, the people, deserve better than you. Respectfully Submitted, Joshua Boston Cpl, United States Marine Corps 2004-2012 As posted on CNN's iReport -- J Carlton, Calgary 5
By observation, it appears that the majority hope for a parental nanny State, thrusting aside liberty, natural law and all else they do not fancy. -- Mike, Norwalk
Mike, I do not believe the majority have fallen for the lies of the nanny state. Certainly the media is trying to promote it, but the fact is that the nanny state can't deliver. They only keep the current slaves on the plantation. Yes, they are doing all they can to disempower the middle class, but you can't keep a good man down! The silent majority is even bigger than Trump voters. It is due to all the responsible people in this nation that are keeping it going. 20 urban centers versus 2000+ counties is no match. The cities will be the first to feel the brunt of their socialist policies -- they will starve way before the rest. -- E Archer, NYC 1

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