Authority founded on injustice is never of long duration.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Truth is the secret of eloquence and of virtue, the basis of moral authority; it is the highest summit of art and of life.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Moral authority is never retained by any attempt to hold on to it. It comes without seeking and is retained without effort.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.
—Jack Welch (1935–2020) American Businessperson
But there is a higher law than the Constitution, which regulates our authority over the domain, and devotes it to the same noble purposes.
—William H. Seward (1801–72) American Elected Representative, Lawyer, Politician, Activist
No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.
—Robert A. Heinlein (1907–88) American Science Fiction Writer
The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
A leading authority is anyone who has guessed right more than once.
—Frank A. Clark
Our moral authority is as important, if not more important, than our troop strength or our high-tech weapons. We are rapidly losing that moral authority, not only in the Arab world but all over the world.
—Robert Reich (b.1946) American Economist, Political Commentator
If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use two feet.
—Keith Richards (b.1943) English Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor
Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
There are two things over which you have complete dominion: authority and control of your mind and your mouth.
—African Proverb
Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases
—John Adams (1735–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Authority is never without hate.
—Euripides (480–406 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
The faith that stands on authority is not faith.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The key to the behavior of subjects lies not in pent-up anger or aggression, but in the nature of their relationship to authority. They have given themselves to the authority; they see themselves as instruments for the execution of his wishes; once so defined, they are unable to break free.
—Stanley Milgram (1933–84) American Social Psychologist
Often it’s better to stay in the background. Sometimes it’s one’s duty to show some spiritual pride. But a spiritual authority needs neither this nor that. He simply is.
—Hans Taeger
I shall be an autocrat; that’s my trade. And the good Lord will forgive me; that’s his.
—Catherine II of Russia (1729–96) Russian Empress
Nothing more impairs authority than a too frequent or indiscreet use of it. If thunder itself was to be continual, it would excite no more terror than the noise of a mill.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Between a man and his wife nothing ought to rule but love. Authority is for children and servants, yet not without sweetness.
—William Penn (1644–1718) American Entrepreneur, Political leader, Philosopher
Freedom of conscience entails more dangers than authority and despotism.
—Michel Foucault (1926–84) French Philosopher, Critic, Historian
The strongest bulwark of authority is uniformity; the least divergence from it is the greatest crime.
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940) Lithuanian-American Anarchist, Feminist
The man who submits to violence is debased by his compliance; but when he submits to that right of authority which he acknowledges in a fellow creature, he rises in some measure above the person who give the command.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
Move decisions out to the Cabinet and agencies. Strengthen them by moving responsibility, authority, and accountability their direction.
—Donald Rumsfeld (1932–2021) U.S. Secretary of Defense
Put two or three men in positions of conflicting authority. This will force them to work at loggerheads, allowing you to be the ultimate arbiter.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) American Head of State, Lawyer
It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law.
—Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English Political Philosopher
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.
—John Muir (1838–1914) Scottish-born American Naturalist
However sugarcoated and ambiguous, every form of authoritarianism must start with a belief in some group’s greater right to power, whether that right is justified by sex, race, class, religion or all four. However far it may expand, the progression inevitably rests on unequal power and airtight roles within the family.
—Gloria Steinem (b.1934) American Feminist, Journalist, Social Activist, Political Activist
We have to hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
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