Disobedience, the rarest and most courageous of the virtues, is seldom distinguished from neglect, the laziest and commonest of the vices.
That government is best which governs least.
It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.
If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.
. . . we should be men first, and subjects afterward.
Government is best which governs least
It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders.
Human history begins with man's act of disobedience which is at the same time the beginning of his freedom and the development of his reason.
Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless or corrupt.
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.
Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.
An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
Ordinarily, a person leaving a courtroom with a conviction behind him would wear a somber face. But I left with a smile. I knew that I was a convicted criminal, but I was proud of my crime.
Whenever there is authority, there is a natural inclination to disobedience.
Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man.
One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
or simply: