Quote by G. W. F. Hegel

The East knew and to the present day knows only that One is Free; the Greek and the Roman world, that some are free; the German World knows that All are free. The first political form therefore which we observe in History, is Despotism, the second Democracy and Aristocracy, the third, Monarchy.

The East knew and to the present day knows only that One is

Summary

This quote suggests that different regions and cultures have different understandings of freedom. The Eastern world acknowledges an individual's freedom, while the Greek and Roman worldview recognizes the freedom of a selected few. On the other hand, the German world perceives freedom as a collective concept applicable to all individuals. Consequently, the quote proposes a chronological progression of political forms throughout history, starting with Despotism (a ruler's absolute power), evolving into Democracy and Aristocracy (limited freedom for some), and culminating in Monarchy (freedom for all). It implies that the German notion of freedom surpasses the previous forms by emphasizing widespread freedom.

Topics

Freedom

By G. W. F. Hegel

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

I mean, it's not surprising, really. Once you love something

I mean, it's not surprising, really. Once you love something, you always love it in some way. You have to. It's, like, part of you for good.

You can't expect to prevent negative feelings altogether. An

You can't expect to prevent negative feelings altogether. And you can't expect to experience positive feelings all the time. The Law of Emotional Choice directs us to acknowledge our feelings but also to refuse to get stuck in the negative ones.

Emotions

We quaff the cup of life with eager haste without draining i

We quaff the cup of life with eager haste without draining it, instead of which it only overflows the brim -- objects press around us, filling the mind with the throng of desires that wait upon them, so that we have no room for the thoughts of death.

Life

'Tis not to see the worldAs from a height, with rapt prophet

'Tis not to see the worldAs from a height, with rapt prophetic eyes,And heart profoundly stirred;And weep, and feel the fullness of the past,The years that are not more.

Matthew Arnold, Growing Old

Past

She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the

She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the universal act of woman to proclaim ownership).

O. Henry Porter

Men & Women

The principles of Jefferson are the definitions and axioms o

The principles of Jefferson are the definitions and axioms of free society.

Abraham Lincoln

I was so ugly my mother used to feed me with a sling shot.

I was so ugly my mother used to feed me with a sling shot.

Rodney Dangerfield

Mother

It ain't often that a man's reputation outlasts his money.

It ain't often that a man's reputation outlasts his money.

Money

My belief is based on the fact that string theory is the fir

My belief is based on the fact that string theory is the first science in hundreds of years to be pursued in pre-Baconian fashion, without any adequate experimental guidance.

Philip Warren Anderson

Science Belief

Shortchange your education now and you may be short of chang

Shortchange your education now and you may be short of change the rest of your life.

Education

Go into the street, and give one man a lecture on morality,

Go into the street, and give one man a lecture on morality, and another a shilling, and see which will respect you most.

Evangelism

They never taste who always drink; they always talk who neve

They never taste who always drink; they always talk who never think.

Conversation