Quote by Edmund Burke
Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites...Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.
Summary
This quote highlights the idea that individuals are truly deserving of freedom in society only when they are willing to exercise self-control and restrain their own desires. It suggests that for a society to function effectively, there must be some external authority or influence to regulate and manage the individual will and desires. The quote implies that the less self-discipline and self-restraint an individual possesses, the more external regulations or restrictions are necessary for maintaining a functional and orderly society.
Topics
Liberty
By Edmund Burke