“Both parties to the dispute agree that one of the primary aims of the state should be to respect and preserve the liberty of its individual citizens. One side argues that the state can hope to redeem this pledge simply by ensuring that its citizens do not suffer any unjust or unnecessary interference in the pursuit of their chosen goals. But the other side maintains that this can never be sufficient, since it will always be necessary for the state to ensure at the same time that its citizens do not fall into a condition of avoidable dependence on the goodwill of others.”

— Quentin Skinner

Source: Liberty Before Liberalism (1998), p. 119

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

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Quentin Skinner 11

British historian 1940

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