

“That government is best which governs least.”
Civil Disobedience · 1849
Traced to Civil Disobedience (1849).
More from Henry David Thoreau
“When were the good and the brave ever in a majority?”
Henry David Thoreau
A Plea for Captain John Brown · 1859
verified“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.”
Henry David Thoreau
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers · 1849
verified“This world is but canvas to our imaginations.”
Henry David Thoreau
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers · 1849
verified“It takes two to speak the truth, — one to speak, and another to hear.”
Henry David Thoreau
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers · 1849
verified“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
Henry David Thoreau
Walden · 1854
verified“Simplify, simplify.”
Henry David Thoreau
Walden · 1854
verifiedMore Leadership quotes
“Let the nation try justice and the problem will be solved.”
Frederick Douglass
Lessons of the Hour · 1894
verified“What I ask for the negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice.”
Frederick Douglass
What the Black Man Wants · 1865
verified“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
I Have a Dream · 1963
verified“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”
Nelson Mandela
Speech for the 'Make Poverty History' campaign · 2005
verified“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela
Long Walk to Freedom · 1995
verified“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Nelson Mandela
I Am Prepared to Die (statement from the dock at the Rivonia Trial) · 1964
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