Acton, Lord (1834 – 1902), English Catholic historian, politician, and writer
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Be not content with the best book; seek sidelights from the others; have no favourites
The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks
The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.
There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of success. (said of Oliver Cromwell)
Save for the wild force of Nature, nothing moves in this world that is not Greek in its origin
Universal History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul
There is no error so monstrous that it fails to find defenders among the ablest men
Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.
The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority.
There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.
The strong man with the dagger is followed by the weak man with the sponge
Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.
The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.
Learn as much by writing as by reading.