Unlimited Quote Collections
Organize your favorite quotes without limits. Create themed collections for every occasion with Premium.
The great object, in trying to understand history, political, religious, literary or scientific, is to get behind men and to grasp ideas. Ideas have … - John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
" "The great object, in trying to understand history, political, religious, literary or scientific, is to get behind men and to grasp ideas. Ideas have a radiation and development, an ancestry and posterity of their own, in which men play the part of godfathers and godmothers more than that of legitimate parents. We understand the work and place of Pascal, or Newton, or Montesquieu, or Adam Smith, when we have measured the gap between the state of astronomy, of political economy, &c., before they came and after they were gone. And the progress of the science is of more use to us than the idiosyncrasy of the man.
English
Collect this quote
About John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902) was an English Catholic historian, commonly known as Lord Acton.
Also Known As
Alternative Names:
Lord Acton
•
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
•
Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Baronet
•
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
•
John Dalberg-Acton
•
John Acton
•
Sir John Dalberg-Acton
•
"Magistrate of History"
Related quotes. More quotes will automatically load as you scroll down, or you can use the load more buttons.
Additional quotes by John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
The tide was running fast when the Reformation began at Wittenberg, and it was to be expected that Luther’s influence would stem the flood of absolutism. For he was confronted everywhere by the compact alliance of the Church with the State; and great part of his country was governed by hostile potentates who were prelates of the court of Rome. He had, indeed, more to fear from temporal than from spiritual foes.
I have shown you how Machiavelli supplied the immoral theory needful for the consummation of royal absolutism; the absolute oligarchy of Venice required the same assurance against the revolt of conscience. It was provided by a writer as able as Machiavelli, who analyzed the wants and resources of aristocracy, and made known that its best security is poison.
Loading...