“It is also in the interests of a tyrant to make his subjects poor, so that he may be able to afford the cost of his bodyguard, while the people are so occupied with their daily tasks that they have no time for plotting.”

—  Aristotle , book Politics

Book V, 1313b.16
Politics

Original

τὸ πένητας ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀρχομένους τυραννικόν, ὅπως μήτε φυλακὴ τρέφηται καὶ πρὸς τῷ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ὄντες ἄσχολοι ὦσιν ἐπιβουλεύειν.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Aristotle 230
Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder o… -384–-321 BC

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