Tag Archives: auberon herbert

The Welfare State Destroys Charity – Quote of the Day

I think I will be continuing with a lot of quotes from  Auberon Herbert: Selected Writings from a Reluctant Anarchist as his writing is full of quotable passages that are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them more than 100 years ago.

In today’s selection, he discusses the negative effect that government welfare programs have on the people.

I ought to show that all great uniform systems–clumsy and oppressive as they must always be in their rude attempt to embrace every part read more

Quote of the Day: On Insurance

In the book Auberon Herbert: Writings of a Reluctant Anarchist Herbert discusses a wide range of topics. At one point he discusses the rise of insurance which, while existing in one for or another for quite some time for business, was becoming available to individuals as well.

But the matter goes far beyond the range of what exists at present. No man can foresee today the full development in the future of the system of insurance. If it is allowed to grow naturally, without disturbance from the read more

Quote of the Day : Liberty, What a Nation Needs

Auberon HerbertToday’s quote also comes from Auberon Herbert: Selected Writings from a Reluctant Anarachist. I find the title to be a bit of a misnomer as Herbert wasn’t an anarchist but rather was a firm believer in a limited form of government. In his view a proper government would not try to do everything for the citizens, but rather protect the rights of the citizens to act as reason dictated. That is the sense that comes across in today’s quote.

We need not have great state departments, read more

Quotation of the Day: Auberon Herbert on the Convenient use of Power

I am still reading Auberon Herbert: Selected Writings from a Reluctant Anarchist, in fact I am still in the first essay, The Right and Wrong of Compulsion by the State, and I am finding a great many passages that will likely make their way here in due time. One aspect I like of this essay is that it was read more

Quotation of the Day: Auberon Herbert on Protecting People from their own Folly

On The Objective Standard blog yesterday there was a post on Auberon Herbert who was a 19th Century British political philosopher and advocate of personal liberty. For those who are fans of Ayn Rand, you will find much that is familiar to you in the words of this man who lived and worked decades before Atlas Shrugged. I encourage everyone to take the time to read it.

Being intrigued by what was offered in the blog post, I was very pleased to find that there are a couple of Herbert’s works read more