Quote by Christopher Hitchens

The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law.

The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law

Summary

This quote suggests that the true nature of tyranny does not lie in strict and rigid laws, but rather in the unpredictable and arbitrary nature of those in power. Tyranny, in this context, is characterized by the whimsical and impulsive decisions of those who govern, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear among the people. Rather than a system governed by logical rules, the essence of tyranny lies in the unchecked and irrational exercise of authority, imposing control without reason or justification.

Topics

Law Tyranny Caprice

By Christopher Hitchens

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to

Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:Whether 'tis Noble

To be, or not to be, that is the question:Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to sufferThe Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,And by opposing end them: to die, to sleepNo more; and by a sleep, to say we endThe Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocksThat Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummationDevoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, there's the rub.

William Shakespeare

Death Pain Sleep Suicide

If there are men in this country big enough to own the gover

If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the United States, they are going to own it.

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is sel

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.

Charles Caleb Colton

One out of four people in this country is mentally imbalance

One out of four people in this country is mentally imbalanced. Think of your three closest friends. If they seem okay, then you're the one.

Judgment Judging

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forw

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Certain it is that scandal is good brisk talk, whereas prais

Certain it is that scandal is good brisk talk, whereas praise of one's neighbor is by no means lively hearing. An acquaintance grilled, scored, devilled, and served with mustard and cayenne pepper excites the appetite; whereas a slice of cold friend with currant jelly is but a sickly, unrelishing meat.

William Makepeace Thackeray

More than a half, maybe as much as two-thirds of my life as

More than a half, maybe as much as two-thirds of my life as a writer is rewriting. I wouldn't say I have a talent that's special. It strikes me that I have an unusual kind of stamina.

One day it just hit me. This is it. You are not in love. So

One day it just hit me. This is it. You are not in love. So either stay in it because you have a child or be brave and find the man of your dreams and marry him for real.

English is taking over the world. I just wrote a piece about

English is taking over the world. I just wrote a piece about it. And it's not by design. The United States dominates because it's the biggest market.

I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to la

I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.

Thomas Jefferson

The poets were not alone in sanctioning myths, for long befo

The poets were not alone in sanctioning myths, for long before the poets the states and the lawmakers had sanctioned them as a useful expedient. They needed to control the people by superstitious fears, and these cannot be aroused without myths and marvels.

Mythology Myths