Classical Liberalism

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"Tyrants have never ceased to display great mutual friendship, because they know very well that they themselves spread the seeds of discord, and that the people who bear the burden of their yoke are in a state of mind to be easily stirred up. Good men love each other, and tyrants can only fear one another."

— de La Boétie, Étienne event 1576

menu_book Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

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Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

person de La Boétie, Étienne event 1576

Written around 1549 by the young French magistrate Étienne de La Boétie and first published posthumously in 1576, this founding text of libertarian...

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Constant, Benjamin

event 1767 - 1830

Swiss-French political thinker, writer, and politician, key figure in classical liberalism and defender of individual liberty

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de La Boétie, Étienne

event 1530 - 1563

French political philosopher and magistrate, author of the foundational text on voluntary servitude and the withdrawal of consent as the means of d...

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