“When a beggar asks us for a quarter, our instinct is to say that the State has already confiscated our quarter for his benefit, and he should go to the State about it.”
― Albert Jay Nock, quote from Our Enemy the State
“All the power [the State] has is what society gives it, plus what it confiscates from time to time on one pretext or another; there is no other source from which State power can be drawn. Therefore every assumption of State power, whether by gift or seizure, leaves society with so much less power.”
― Albert Jay Nock, quote from Our Enemy the State
“The positive testimony of history is that the State invariably had its origin in conquest and confiscation. No primitive State known to history originated in any other manner.”
― Albert Jay Nock, quote from Our Enemy the State
“The competition of social power with State power is always disadvantaged, since the State can arrange the terms of competition to suit itself, even to the point of outlawing any exercise of social power whatever in the premises; in other words, giving itself a monopoly.”
― Albert Jay Nock, quote from Our Enemy the State
“Instead of recognizing the State as “the common enemy of all well-disposed, industrious and decent men,” the run of mankind, with rare exceptions, regards it not only as a final and indispensable entity, but also as, in the main, beneficent.”
― Albert Jay Nock, quote from Our Enemy the State
“Alone we were just one weird kid who talked to himself and one weird kid who never talked to anyone; together we were two weird kids having a semblance of a conversation. It wasn't much, but it made us look a little more normal. Two wrongs made a right.”
― Dan Wells, quote from I Am Not A Serial Killer
“What had been the purpose of my too-short like? I had been a daughter, a sister, a friend. Was that enough? My mother always said the most important thing in life was to love and be loved. I had done both.
“Come along.” I felt the guard nudge me forward.
“Wait.” I steadied myself enough to slip my feet out of my shoes, stepping onto the dewy grass, which felt soft and prickly at the same time. I needed to feel the grass beneath my feet one last time.
“I want to run,” Jamie said, is voice rising hopefully. “Please.”
“No running,” the guard responded sternly.
“Please let him,” Mary pleaded. “He’s been ill his whole life, until now.”
I heard the second guard shuffle his feet and whisper something to the first. I wished I could see their faces. “All right,” the first guard reluctantly agreed. “Three minutes. We’ll take off your blindfold so you don’t trip,” he added gruffly.
I couldn’t see Jamie, but I heard the patter of his feet, the joy in his voice as he cried out in happiness. Moved, the soldiers let him play for much longer than three minutes. And for once in his life, Jamie got to run outside like a normal boy, as the rain fell harder and the Tower chimed the hour of our execution.”
― Galaxy Craze, quote from The Last Princess
“За изкуството не може да се пише. То може само да се чувстува.”
― Erich Maria Remarque, quote from Shadows in Paradise
“What absurd victims of contrary desires we are! If a man is settled in one place he yearns to wander; when he wanders he yearns to have a home. And yet how bestial is content—all the great things in life are done by discontented people.”
― Christopher Morley, quote from Parnassus on Wheels
“Why not make cheerfulness, outrageousness, playfulness a new priority for yourself? Make feeling good your expectation. You don’t have to have a reason to feel good—you’re alive; you can feel good for no reason at all!”
― Anthony Robbins, quote from Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!
BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.
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