|
Welcome to the Online Library of Liberty |
New and of Note
|
|
Special Collections in the OLL
|
|
Quotations about Liberty and Power
Dugald Stewart had in his possession some notes of lectures Adam Smith gave in 1755, some 21 years before the appearance of the Wealth of Nations (1776). Here Smith gives a pithy description of what he thought the government should do to encourage economic development:
Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things. All governments which thwart this natural course, which force things into another channel, or which endeavour to arrest the progress of society at a particular point, are unnatural, and to support themselves are obliged to be oppressive and tyrannical.
See full quote and previous quotations about liberty. Read the full quote in context here. [More works by Adam Smith (1723 – 1790) and on Economics] |
Images
of Liberty and Power ↑
Samuel warns the Israelites of the Dangers
of Kings
|
|
"Saul is ordered to destroy
all the Amalekites and their livestock,"
[page 24 verso, lower panel]
The Morgan
Picture Bible (c. 1250)
[See larger
image 900 px]
|
|
Many Christians in 17th century England and 17th and 18th
century North America were struck by some passages in I Samuel
in which the prophet Samuel warned about the dangers a King
would pose to the liberties of the Israelite people. This struck
a chord with those who were fighting the growing power of the
Stuart monarchy or the efforts of the British Empire to exert
its power over the North American colonies. The art we have
chosen to illustrate these passages come from the Illustrated
Bible commissioned by King Louis IX (1214-1270) of France in
the mid-13th century. They provide a stark contrast to the
anti-monarchical sentiment of 17th and 18th century Englishmen.
Louis IX arranged for these illustrations to be made because
he wanted to assert his divine right to rule France and saw
in the commands of Samuel and the actions of King Saul both
historical and theological precedent upon which he could draw
to justify his own behavior. [More]
[See other works by Samuel]
|
[Archive of
Images]
[Detailed Study Guides
on Images of Liberty and Power]
[See our collection of paired
Quotations and Images about Liberty & Power]
|
Anniversaries
of our Authors and Books↑
Elsewhere in the OLL Website
Structure
of the Site | Features | About
the OLL Website | Liberty
Fund's Other Websites | Copyright
and Fair Use Statement
|
Recent Additions 
