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#authority ✱ Oscar Wilde

tyrannies over body and soul

There is the despot who tyrannises over the body (Prince). There is the despot who tyrannises over the soul (Pope). There is the despot who tyrannises over the soul and body alike — the People. They have marred themselves by imitation of their inferiors, taken the sceptre of the Prince, the triple tiara of the Pope. Their authority is a thing blind, deaf, hideous, grotesque, tragic, amusing, serious, and obscene. It is impossible for the artist to live with the People. All despots bribe. The people bribe and brutalise.

linked mentions for "tyrannies over body and soul":

  1. the state as a voluntary association

    There is no such thing as governing mankind, as a wise man once said, there is such a thing as leaving mankind alone. All modes of government are