“"The poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he…" [Colonel Thomas Rainsborough, Putney Debates 1647] This is one Liberal Text. And it is more distinctive than may at first appear. It asserts the individual and the value of any individual - even the poorest He. But it asserts it without envy. It does not demand that the rich be made poor - nor even claim that the poor are more deserving than the rich. It demands equality in one thing only, the right to live one's own life.”

—  Jo Grimond

The Liberal Future (London: Faber and Faber, 1959), p. 12.

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Jo Grimond 13
British soldier, politician and academic 1913–1993

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“The poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he…”

Jo Grimond (1913–1993) British soldier, politician and academic

[Colonel Thomas Rainsborough, Putney Debates 1647] This is one Liberal Text. And it is more distinctive than may at first appear. It asserts the individual and the value of any individual - even the poorest He. But it asserts it without envy. It does not demand that the rich be made poor - nor even claim that the poor are more deserving than the rich. It demands equality in one thing only, the right to live one's own life.
The Liberal Future (London: Faber and Faber, 1959), p. 12.

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“If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.”

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian writer

Source: Path of Life (1909), p. 89

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