,on the ,duty of ,civil ,disobedience   
by ,henry ,david ,thoreau       #ahdi1  
original title3 ,resistance to ,civil   
,government        ,i heartily accept   
the motto1--8,that government is best   
which governs  least20 and ,i should    
like to see it acted up to more rapidly 
and  systematically4 ,carried out1 it   
finally amounts to this1 which also ,i  
believe--8,that government is best which
 governs not at all20 and when  men are 
prepared for it1 that will be the kind  
of government which they  will have4    
,government is at best but an expedient2
 but most governments  are usually1 and 
all governments are sometimes1          
inexpedient4 ,the  objections which have
 been brought against a standing army1  
and they  are many and weighty1 and     
deserve to prevail1 may also at last be 
brought against a standing government4  
,the standing army is only an arm  of   
the standing government4 ,the government
 itself1 which is only the  mode which  
the people have chosen to execute their 

will1 is equally  liable to be abused   
and perverted before the people can act 
through it4  ,witness the present       
,mexican war1 the work of comparatively 
a few  individuals using the standing   
government as their tool2 for1 in the   
outset1 the people would not have       
consented to this measure4    ,this     
,american government1--what is it but a 
tradition1 though a recent  one1        
endeavoring to transmit itself          
unimpaired to posterity1 but each       
instant losing some of its integrity8   
,it has not the vitality and force  of a
 single living man2 for a single man can
 bend it to his will4 ,it is  a sort of 
wooden gun to the people themselves2    
and1 if ever they should  use it in     
earnest as a real one against each      
other1 it will surely  split4 ,but it is
 not the less necessary for this2 for   
the people must  have some complicated  
machinery or other1 and hear its din1 to
 satisfy  that idea of government which 
they have4 ,governments show thus how   

successfully men can be imposed on1 even
 impose on themselves1 for  their own   
advantage4 ,it is excellent1 we must all
 allow2 yet this  government never of   
itself furthered any enterprise1 but by 
the  alacrity with which it got out of  
its way4 ,it does not keep the  country 
free4 ,it does not settle the ,west4 ,it
 does not educate4 ,the  character      
inherent in the ,american people has    
done all that has been  accomplished2   
and it would have done somewhat more1 if
 the government  had not sometimes got  
in its way4 ,for government is an       
expedient1 by  which men would fain     
succeed in letting one another alone2   
and1 as has  been said1 when it is most 
expedient1 the governed are most let    
alone  by it4 ,trade and commerce1 if   
they were not made of ,india rubber1    
would  never manage to bounce over      
obstacles which legislators are         
continually  putting in their way2 and1 
if one were to judge these men wholly by
 the  effects of their actions1 and not 

partly by their intentions1 they  would 
deserve to be classed and punished with 
those mischievous persons  who put      
obstructions on the railroads4    ,but1 
to speak practically and as a citizen1  
unlike those who call  themselves       
no-government men1 ,i ask for1 not at   
once no government1 but  at once a      
better government4 ,let every man make  
known what kind of  government would    
command his respect1 and that will be   
one step toward  obtaining it4    ,after
 all1 the practical reason why1 when the
 power is once in the  hands of the     
people1 a majority are permitted1 and   
for a long period  continue1 to rule1 is
 not because they are most likely to be 
in the  right1 nor because this seems   
fairest to the minority1 but because    
they  are physically the strongest4 ,but
 a government in which the majority     
rule in all cases can not be based on   
justice1 even as far as men  understand 
it4 ,can there not be a government in   
which the majorities do  not virtually  

decide right and wrong1 but             
conscience8--in which  majorities decide
 only those questions to which the rule 
of expediency  is applicable8 ,must the 
citizen ever for a moment1 or in the    
least  degree1 resign his conscience to 
the legislator8 ,why has every man a    
conscience1 then8 ,i think that we      
should be men first1 and subjects       
afterward4 ,it is not desirable to      
cultivate a respect for the law1 so     
much as for the right4 ,the only        
obligation which ,i have a right to     
assume1 is to do at any time what ,i    
think right4 ,it is truly enough  said  
that a corporation has no conscience2   
but a corporation of  conscientious men 
is a corporation with a conscience4 ,law
 never made  men a whit more just2 and1 
by means of their respect for it1 even  
the  well-disposed are daily made the   
agents of injustice4 ,a common and      
natural result of an undue respect for  
the law is1 that you may see a  file of 
soldiers1 colonel1 captain1 corporal1   

privates1 powder-monkeys  and all1      
marching in admirable order over hill   
and dale to the wars1  against their    
wills1 aye1 against their common sense  
and consciences1  which makes it very   
steep marching indeed1 and produces a   
palpitation  of the heart4 ,they have no
 doubt that it is a damnable business in
  which they are concerned2 they are all
 peaceably inclined4 ,now1 what  are    
they8 ,men at all8 or small movable     
forts and magazines1 at the  service of 
some unscrupulous man in power8 ,visit  
the ,navy ,yard1 and  behold a marine1  
such a man as an ,american government   
can make1 or such  as it can make a man 
with its black arts1 a mere shadow and  
reminiscence of humanity1 a man laid out
 alive and standing1 and  already1 as   
one may say1 buried under arms with     
funeral accompaniment1  though it may be
      8,not a drum was heard1 not a     
funeral note1      ,as his corpse to the
 ramparts we hurried2    ,not a soldier 
discharged his farewell shot      ,o'er 

the grave where our hero we buried40    
,the mass of men serve the ,state thus1 
not as men mainly1 but as  machines1    
with their bodies4 ,they are the        
standing army1 and the  militia1        
jailers1 constables1 posse comitatus1 c4
 ,in most cases  there is no free       
exercise whatever of the judgment or of 
the moral  sense2 but they put          
themselves on a level with wood and     
earth and  stones2 and wooden men can   
perhaps be manufactured that will serve 
the  purpose as well4 ,such command no  
more respect than men of straw1 or a    
lump of dirt4 ,they have the same sort  
of worth only as horses and dogs4  ,yet 
such as these even are commonly esteemed
 good citizens4 ,others1 as  most       
legislators1 politicians1 lawyers1      
ministers1 and office-holders1  serve   
the state chiefly with their heads2 and1
 as they rarely make any  moral         
distinctions1 they are as likely to     
serve the devil1 without  intending it1 
as ,god4 ,a very few1 as heroes1        

patriots1 martyrs1  reformers in the    
great sense1 and men1 serve the ,state  
with their  consciences also1 and so    
necessarily resist it for the most part2
 and  they are commonly treated by it as
 enemies4 ,a wise man will only be      
useful as a man1 and will not submit to 
be 8clay10 and 8stop a hole to  keep the
 wind away10 but leave that office to   
his dust at least3      8,i am too      
high-born to be propertied1    ,to be a 
secondary at control1    ,or useful     
serving-man and instrument    ,to any   
sovereign state throughout the world40  
,he who gives himself entirely to his   
fellow-men appears to them useless  and 
selfish2 but he who gives himself       
partially to them is pronounced a       
benefactor and philanthropist4    ,how  
does it become a man to behave toward   
the ,american government  today8 ,i     
answer that he cannot without disgrace  
be associated with it4  ,i cannot for an
 instant recognize that political       
organization as my  government which is 

the slave's government also4    ,all men
 recognize the right of revolution2 that
 is1 the right to refuse  allegiance to 
and to resist the government1 when its  
tyranny or its  inefficiency are great  
and unendurable4 ,but almost all say    
that such is  not the case now4 ,but    
such was the case1 they think1 in the   
,revolution  of '#ge4 ,if one were to   
tell me that this was a bad government  
because  it taxed certain foreign       
commodities brought to its ports1 it is 
most  probable that ,i should not make  
an ado about it1 for ,i can do without  
them3 all machines have their friction2 
and possibly this does enough  good to  
counter-balance the evil4 ,at any rate1 
it is a great evil to  make a stir about
 it4 ,but when the friction comes to    
have its machine1  and oppression and   
robbery are organized1 ,i say1 let us   
not have such a  machine any longer4 ,in
 other words1 when a sixth of the       
population of a  nation which has       
undertaken to be the refuge of liberty  

are slaves1 and  a whole country is     
unjustly overrun and conquered by a     
foreign army1  and subjected to military
 law1 ,i think that it is not too soon  
for  honest men to rebel and            
revolutionize4 ,what makes this duty the
 more  urgent is that fact1 that the    
country so overrun is not our own1 but  
ours is the invading army4    ,paley1 a 
common authority with many on moral     
questions1 in his chapter  on the 8,duty
 of ,submission to ,civil ,government10 
resolves all civil  obligation into     
expediency2 and he proceeds to say1     
8that so long as  the interest of the   
whole society requires it1 that is1 so  
long as the  established government     
cannot be resisted or changed without   
public  inconveniency1 it is the will of
 ,god that the established government be
  obeyed1 and no longer40--8,this       
principle being admitted1 the justice of
  every particular case of resistance is
 reduced to a computation of the        
quantity of the danger and grievance on 

the one side1 and of the  probability   
and expense of redressing it on the     
other40 ,of this1 he  says1 every man   
shall judge for himself4 ,but ,paley    
appears never to  have contemplated     
those cases to which the rule of        
expediency does not  apply1 in which a  
people1 as well as an individual1 must  
do justice1  cost what it may4 ,if ,i   
have unjustly wrested a plank from a    
drowning  man1 ,i must restore it to him
 though ,i drown myself4 ,this1         
according to  ,paley1 would be          
inconvenient4 ,but he that would save   
his life1 in such  a case1 shall lose   
it4 ,this people must cease to hold     
slaves1 and to  make war on ,mexico1    
though it cost them their existence as a
 people4    ,in their practice1 nations 
agree with ,paley2 but does anyone think
 that  ,massachusetts does exactly what 
is right at the present crisis8      8,a
 drab of state1 a cloth-o'-silver slut1 
,to have her train borne up1 and her    
soul trail in the dirt40    ,practically

 speaking1 the opponents to a reform in 
,massachusetts are  not a hundred       
thousand politicians at the ,south1 but 
a hundred thousand  merchants and       
farmers here1 who are more interested in
 commerce and  agriculture than they are
 in humanity1 and are not prepared to do
  justice to the slave and to ,mexico1  
cost what it may4 ,i quarrel not  with  
far-off foes1 but with those who1 near  
at home1 co-operate with1  and do the   
bidding of those far away1 and without  
whom the latter would  be harmless4 ,we 
are accustomed to say1 that the mass of 
men are  unprepared2 but improvement is 
slow1 because the few are not materially
  wiser or better than the many4 ,it is 
not so important that many should  be as
 good as you1 as that there be some     
absolute goodness somewhere2  for that  
will leaven the whole lump4 ,there are  
thousands who are in  opinion opposed to
 slavery and to the war1 who yet in     
effect do  nothing to put an end to     
them2 who1 esteeming themselves children

 of  ,washington and ,franklin1 sit down
 with their hands in their pockets1  and
 say that they know not what to do1 and 
do nothing2 who even  postpone the      
question of freedom to the question of  
free-trade1 and  quietly read the       
prices-current along with the latest    
advices from  ,mexico1 after dinner1    
and1 it may be1 fall asleep over them   
both4 ,what  is the price-current of an 
honest man and patriot today8 ,they     
hesitate1  and they regret1 and         
sometimes they petition2 but they do    
nothing in  earnest and with effect4    
,they will wait1 well disposed1 for     
others to  remedy the evil1 that they   
may no longer have it to regret4 ,at    
most1  they give only a cheap vote1 and 
a feeble countenance and ,godspeed1 to  
the right1 as it goes by them4 ,there   
are nine hundred and ninety-nine        
patrons of virtue to one virtuous man2  
but it is easier to deal with  the real 
possessor of a thing than with the      
temporary guardian of it4    ,all voting

 is a sort of gaming1 like chequers or  
backgammon1 with a  slight moral tinge  
to it1 a playing with right and wrong1  
with moral  questions2 and betting      
naturally accompanies it4 ,the character
 of the  voters is not staked4 ,i cast  
my vote1 perchance1 as ,i think right2  
but  ,i am not vitally concerned that   
that right should prevail4 ,i am willing
  to leave it to the majority4 ,its     
obligation1 therefore1 never exceeds    
that of expediency4 ,even voting for the
 right is doing nothing for  it4 ,it is 
only expressing to men feebly your      
desire that it should  prevail4 ,a wise 
man will not leave the right to the     
mercy of chance1  nor wish it to prevail
 through the power of the majority4     
,there is but  little virtue in the     
action of masses of men4 ,when the      
majority shall  at length vote for the  
abolition of slavery1 it will be because
 they  are indifferent to slavery1 or   
because there is but little slavery left
  to be abolished by their vote4 ,they  

will then be the only slaves4  ,only his
 vote can hasten the abolition of       
slavery who asserts his own  freedom by 
his vote4    ,i hear of a convention to 
be held at ,baltimore1 or elsewhere1 for
 the  selection of a candidate for the  
,presidency1 made up chiefly of         
editors1 and men who are politicians by 
profession2 but ,i think1 what  is it to
 any independent1 intelligent1 and      
respectable man what  decision they may 
come to1 shall we not have the advantage
 of his  wisdom and honesty1            
nevertheless8 ,can we not count upon    
some  independent votes8 ,are there not 
many individuals in the country who do  
not attend conventions8 ,but no3 ,i find
 that the respectable man1 so  called1  
has immediately drifted from his        
position1 and despairs of his  country1 
when his country has more reasons to    
despair of him4 ,he  forthwith adopts   
one of the candidates thus selected as  
the only  available one1 thus proving   
that he is himself available for any    

purposes of the demagogue4 ,his vote is 
of no more worth than that of  any      
unprincipled foreigner or hireling      
native1 who may have been  bought4 ,oh  
for a man who is a man1 and1 as my      
neighbor says1 has a  bone in his back  
which you cannot pass your hand through6
 ,our  statistics are at fault3 the     
population has been returned too large4 
,how many men are there to a square     
thousand miles in the country8  ,hardly 
one4 ,does not ,america offer any       
inducement for men to settle  here8 ,the
 ,american has dwindled into an ,odd    
,fellow1--one who may be  known by the  
development of his organ of             
gregariousness1 and a manifest  lack of 
intellect and cheerful self-reliance2   
whose first and chief  concern1 on      
coming into the world1 is to see that   
the alms-houses are  in good repair2    
and1 before yet he has lawfully donned  
the virile garb1  to collect a fund for 
the support of the widows and orphans   
that may  be2 who1 in short1 ventures to

 live only by the aid of the ,mutual    
,insurance company1 which has promised  
to bury him decently4    ,it is not a   
man's duty1 as a matter of course1 to   
devote himself to the  eradication of   
any1 even the most enormous wrong2 he   
may still properly  have other concerns 
to engage him2 but it is his duty1 at   
least1 to  wash his hands of it1 and1 if
 he gives it no thought longer1 not to  
give it practically his support4 ,if ,i 
devote myself to other pursuits  and    
contemplations1 ,i must first see1 at   
least1 that ,i do not pursue  them      
sitting upon another man's shoulders4 ,i
 must get off him first1  that he may   
pursue his contemplations too4 ,see what
 gross inconsistency  is tolerated4 ,i  
have heard some of my townsmen say1 8,i 
should like to  have them order me out  
to help put down an insurrection of the 
slaves1  or to march to ,mexico1--see if
 ,i would go20 and yet these very men   
have  each1 directly by their           
allegiance1 and so indirectly1 at least1

 by  their money1 furnished a           
substitute4 ,the soldier is applauded   
who  refuses to serve in an unjust war  
by those who do not refuse to sustain   
the unjust government which makes the   
war2 is applauded by those whose  own   
act and authority he disregards and sets
 at naught2 as if the ,state  were      
penitent to that degree that it hired   
one to scourge it while it  sinned1 but 
not to that degree that it left off     
sinning for a moment4  ,thus1 under the 
name of ,order and ,civil ,government1  
we are all made at  last to pay homage  
to and support our own meanness4 ,after 
the first  blush of sin1 comes its      
indifference2 and from immoral it       
becomes1 as  it were1 unmoral1 and not  
quite unnecessary to that life which we 
have made4    ,the broadest and most    
prevalent error requires the most       
disinterested  virtue to sustain it4    
,the slight reproach to which the virtue
 of  patriotism is commonly liable1 the 
noble are most likely to incur4  ,those 

who1 while they disapprove of the       
character and measures of a  government1
 yield to it their allegiance and       
support1 are undoubtedly  its most      
conscientious supporters1 and so        
frequently the most serious  obstacles  
to reform4 ,some are petitioning the    
,state to dissolve the  ,union1 to      
disregard the requisitions of the       
,president4 ,why do they not  dissolve  
it themselves1--the union between       
themselves and the ,state1--and  refuse 
to pay their quota into its treasury8   
,do not they stand in same  relation to 
the ,state1 that the ,state does to the 
,union8 ,and have not  the same reasons 
prevented the ,state from resisting the 
,union1 which  have prevented them from 
resisting the ,state8    ,how can a man 
be satisfied to entertain an opinion    
merely1 and enjoy  it8 ,is there any    
enjoyment in it1 if his opinion is that 
he is  aggrieved8 ,if you are cheated   
out of a single dollar by your neighbor1
  you do not rest satisfied with knowing

 you are cheated1 or with saying  that  
you are cheated1 or even with           
petitioning him to pay you your due2    
but you take effectual steps at once to 
obtain the full amount1 and see  that   
you are never cheated again4 ,action    
from principle1--the perception  and the
 performance of right1--changes things  
and relations2 it is  essentially       
revolutionary1 and does not consist     
wholly with anything  which was4 ,it not
 only divided states and churches1 it   
divides  families2 aye1 it divides the  
individual1 separating the diabolical   
in him from the divine4    ,unjust laws 
exist3 shall we be content to obey them1
 or shall we  endeavor to amend them1   
and obey them until we have succeeded1  
or shall  we transgress them at once8   
,men generally1 under such a government 
as  this1 think that they ought to wait 
until they have persuaded the  majority 
to alter them4 ,they think that1 if they
 should resist1 the  remedy would be    
worse than the evil4 ,but it is the     

fault of the  government itself that the
 remedy is worse than the evil4 ,it     
makes  it worse4 ,why is it not more apt
 to anticipate and provide for reform8  
,why does it not cherish its wise       
minority8 ,why does it cry and resist   
before it is hurt8 ,why does it not     
encourage its citizens to be on the     
alert to point out its faults1 and do   
better than it would have them8  ,why   
does it always crucify ,christ1 and     
excommunicate ,copernicus and  ,luther1 
and pronounce ,washington and ,franklin 
rebels8    ,one would think1 that a     
deliberate and practical denial of its  
authority was the only offence never    
contemplated by government2 else1  why  
has it not assigned its definite1 its   
suitable and proportionate  penalty8 ,if
 a man who has no property refuses but  
once to earn nine  shillings for the    
,state1 he is put in prison for a period
 unlimited by  any law that ,i know1 and
 determined only by the discretion of   
those who  placed him there2 but if he  

should steal ninety times nine shillings
  from the ,state1 he is soon permitted 
to go at large again4    ,if the        
injustice is part of the necessary      
friction of the machine of  government1 
let it go1 let it go3 perchance it will 
wear  smooth1--certainly the machine    
will wear out4 ,if the injustice has a  
spring1 or a pulley1 or a rope1 or a    
crank1 exclusively for itself1  then    
perhaps you may consider whether the    
remedy will not be worse than  the evil2
 but if it is of such a nature that it  
requires you to be the  agent of        
injustice to another1 then1 ,i say1     
break the law4 ,let your  life be a     
counter friction to stop the machine4   
,what ,i have to do is to  see1 at any  
rate1 that ,i do not lend myself to the 
wrong which ,i  condemn4    ,as for     
adopting the ways which the ,state has  
provided for remedying the  evil1 ,i    
know not of such ways4 ,they take too   
much time1 and a man's  life will be    
gone4 ,i have other affairs to attend   

to4 ,i came into this  world1 not       
chiefly to make this a good place to    
live in1 but to live in  it1 be it good 
or bad4 ,a man has not every thing to   
do1 but something2  and because he      
cannot do every thing1 it is not        
necessary that he  should do something  
wrong4 ,it is not my business to be     
petitioning  the ,governor or the       
,legislature any more than it is theirs 
to petition  me2 and1 if they should not
 hear my petition1 what should ,i do    
then8  ,but in this case the ,state has 
provided no way3 its very ,constitution 
is the evil4 ,this may seem to be harsh 
and stubborn and  unconcilliatory2 but  
it is to treat with the utmost kindness 
and  consideration the only spirit that 
can appreciate or deserves it4 ,so is   
all change for the better1 like birth   
and death which convulse the  body4     
,i do not hesitate to say1 that those   
who call themselves abolitionists       
should at once effectually withdraw     
their support1 both in person and       

property1 from the government of        
,massachusetts1 and not wait till they  
constitute a majority of one1 before    
they suffer the right to prevail        
through them4 ,i think that it is enough
 if they have ,god on their side1       
without waiting for that other one4     
,moreover1 any man more right than  his 
neighbors constitutes a majority of one 
already4    ,i meet this ,american      
government1 or its representative1 the  
,state  government1 directly1 and face  
to face1 once a year1 no more1 in the   
person of its tax-gatherer2 this is the 
only mode in which a man  situated as ,i
 am necessarily meets it2 and it then   
says distinctly1  ,recognize me2 and the
 simplest1 the most effectual1 and1 in  
the present  posture of affairs1 the    
indispensablest mode of treating with it
 on  this head1 of expressing your      
little satisfaction with and love for   
it1  is to deny it then4 ,my civil      
neighbor1 the tax-gatherer1 is the very 
man ,i have to deal with1--for it is1   

after all1 with men and not with        
parchment that ,i quarrel1--and he has  
voluntarily chosen to be an agent  of   
the government4 ,how shall he ever know 
well what he is and does as  an officer 
of the government1 or as a man1 until he
 is obliged to  consider whether he     
shall treat me1 his neighbor1 for whom  
he has  respect1 as a neighbor and      
well-disposed man1 or as a maniac and   
disturber of the peace1 and see if he   
can get over this obstruction to  his   
neighborliness without a ruder and more 
impetuous thought or speech             
corresponding with his action8 ,i know  
this well1 that if one thousand1  if one
 hundred1 if ten men whom ,i could      
name1--if ten honest men  only1--aye1 if
 one ,,honest man1 in this ,state of    
,massachusetts1  ceasing to hold slaves1
 were actually to withdraw from this    
copartnership1 and be locked up in the  
county jail therefor1 it would  be the  
abolition of slavery in ,america4 ,for  
it matters not how small  the beginning 

may seem to be3 what is once well done  
is done for ever4  ,but we love better  
to talk about it3 that we say is our    
mission4 ,reform  keeps many scores of  
newspapers in its service1 but not one  
man4 ,if my  esteemed neighbor1 the     
,state's ambassador1 who will devote his
 days to  the settlement of the question
 of human rights in the ,council        
,chamber1  instead of being threatened  
with the prisons of ,carolina1 were to  
sit  down the prisoner of               
,massachusetts1 that ,state which is so 
anxious to  foist the sin of slavery    
upon her sister1--though at present she 
can  discover only an act of            
inhospitality to be the ground of a     
quarrel  with her1--the ,legislature    
would not wholly waive the subject of   
the  following winter4    ,under a      
government which imprisons any unjustly1
 the true place for a  just man is also 
a prison4 ,the proper place today1 the  
only place which  ,massachusetts has    
provided for her freer and less         

desponding spirits1  is in her prisons1 
to be put out and locked out of the     
,state by her own  act1 as they have    
already put themselves out by their     
principles4 ,it is  there that the      
fugitive slave1 and the ,mexican        
prisoner on parole1 and  the ,indian    
come to plead the wrongs of his race1   
should find them2 on  that separate1 but
 more free and honorable ground1 where  
the ,state  places those who are not    
with her but against her1--the only     
house  in a slave-state in which a free 
man can abide with honor4 ,if any think 
that their influence would be lost      
there1 and their voices no longer       
afflict the ear of the ,state1 that they
 would not be as an enemy within  its   
walls1 they do not know by how much     
truth is stronger than error1  nor how  
much more eloquently and effectively he 
can combat injustice  who has           
experienced a little in his own person4 
,cast your whole vote1  not a strip of  
paper merely1 but your whole influence4 

,a minority is  powerless while it      
conforms to the majority2 it is not even
 a minority  then2 but it is            
irresistible when it clogs by its whole 
weight4 ,if the  alternative is to keep 
all just men in prison1 or give up war  
and  slavery1 the ,state will not       
hesitate which to choose4 ,if a thousand
 men  were not to pay their tax-bills   
this year1 that would not be a violent  
and bloody measure1 as it would be to   
pay them1 and enable the ,state to      
commit violence and shed innocent blood4
 ,this is1 in fact1 the  definition of a
 peaceable revolution1 if any such is   
possible4 ,if the  tax-gatherer1 or any 
other public officer1 asks me1 as one   
has done1  8,but what shall ,i do80 my  
answer is1 8,if you really wish to do   
any  thing1 resign your office40 ,when  
the subject has refused allegiance1  and
 the officer has resigned his office1   
then the revolution is  accomplished4   
,but even suppose blood should flow4 ,is
 there not a sort  of blood shed when   

the conscience is wounded8 ,through this
 wound a  man's real manhood and        
immortality flow out1 and he bleeds to  
an  everlasting death4 ,i see this blood
 flowing now4    ,i have contemplated   
the imprisonment of the offender1 rather
 than the  seizure of his goods1--though
 both will serve the same               
purpose1--because  they who assert the  
purest right1 and consequently are most 
dangerous  to a corrupt ,state1 commonly
 have not spent much time in            
accumulating  property4 ,to such the    
,state renders comparatively small      
service1 and a  slight tax is wont to   
appear exorbitant1 particularly if they 
are  obliged to earn it by special labor
 with their hands4 ,if there were one   
who lived wholly without the use of     
money1 the ,state itself would  hesitate
 to demand it of him4 ,but the rich     
man--not to make any  invidious         
comparison--is always sold to the       
institution which makes him  rich4      
,absolutely speaking1 the more money1   

the less virtue2 for money  comes       
between a man and his objects1 and      
obtains them for him2 it was  certainly 
no great virtue to obtain it4 ,it puts  
to rest many questions  which he would  
otherwise be taxed to answer2 while the 
only new  question which it puts is the 
hard but superfluous one1 how to spend  
it4 ,thus his moral ground is taken from
 under his feet4 ,the  opportunities of 
living are diminished in proportion as  
what are called  the 8means0 are        
increased4 ,the best thing a man can do 
for his culture  when he is rich is to  
endeavor to carry out those schemes     
which he  entertained when he was poor4 
,christ answered the ,herodians         
according  to their condition4 8,show me
 the tribute-money10 said he2--and one  
took  a penny out of his pocket2--if you
 use money which has the image of  ,csar
 on it1 and which he has made current   
and valuable1 that is1 if  you are men  
of the ,state1 and gladly enjoy the     
advantages of ,csar's  government1 then 

pay him back some of his own when he    
demands it2  8,render therefore to ,csar
 that which is ,csar's and to ,god those
  things which are ,god's10--leaving    
them no wiser than before as to which   
was which2 for they did not wish to     
know4    ,when ,i converse with the     
freest of my neighbors1 ,i perceive     
that1  whatever they may say about the  
magnitude and seriousness of the        
question1 and their regard for the      
public tranquillity1 the long and  the  
short of the matter is1 that they cannot
 spare the protection of  the existing  
government1 and they dread the          
consequences of  disobedience to it to  
their property and families4 ,for my own
 part1 ,i  should not like to think that
 ,i ever rely on the protection of the  
,state4 ,but1 if ,i deny the authority  
of the ,state when it presents its      
tax-bill1 it will soon take and waste   
all my property1 and so harass me  and  
my children without end4 ,this is hard4 
,this makes it impossible for  a man to 

live honestly and at the same time      
comfortably in outward  respects4 ,it   
will not be worth the while to          
accumulate property2 that  would be sure
 to go again4 ,you must hire or squat   
somewhere1 and raise  but a small crop1 
and eat that soon4 ,you must live within
 yourself1 and  depend upon yourself1   
always tucked up and ready for a start1 
and not  have many affairs4 ,a man may  
grow rich in ,turkey even1 if he will be
 in  all respects a good subject of the 
,turkish government4 ,confucius         
said1--8,if a ,state is governed by the 
principles of reason1 poverty and       
misery are subjects of shame2 if a      
,state is not governed by the           
principles of reason1 riches and honors 
are the subjects of shame40 ,no3  until 
,i want the protection of ,massachusetts
 to be extended to me in  some distant  
southern port1 where my liberty is      
endangered1 or until ,i  am bent solely 
on building up an estate at home by     
peaceful enterprise1  ,i can afford to  

refuse allegiance to ,massachusetts1 and
 her right to my  property and life4 ,it
 costs me less in every sense to incur  
the penalty  of disobedience to the     
,state1 than it would to obey4 ,i should
 feel as  if ,i were worth less in that 
case4    ,some years ago1 the ,state met
 me in behalf of the church1 and        
commanded  me to pay a certain sum      
toward the support of a clergyman whose 
preaching my father attended1 but never 
,i myself4 8,pay it10 it said1  8or be  
locked up in the jail40 ,i declined to  
pay4 ,but1 unfortunately1  another man  
saw fit to pay it4 ,i did not see why   
the schoolmaster  should be taxed to    
support the priest1 and not the priest  
the  schoolmaster2 for ,i was not the   
,state's schoolmaster1 but ,i supported 
myself by voluntary subscription4 ,i did
 not see why the lyceum should  not     
present its tax-bill1 and have the      
,state to back its demand1 as  well as  
the church4 ,however1 at the request of 
the selectmen1 ,i  condescended to make 

some such statement as this in          
writing3--8,know all  men by these      
presents1 that ,i1 ,henry ,thoreau1 do  
not wish to be  regarded as a member of 
any incorporated society which ,i have  
not  joined40 ,this ,i gave to the      
town-clerk2 and he has it4 ,the ,state1 
having thus learned that ,i did not wish
 to be regarded as a member of  that    
church1 has never made a like demand on 
me since2 though it said  that it must  
adhere to its original presumption that 
time4 ,if ,i had  known how to name     
them1 ,i should then have signed off in 
detail from  all the societies which ,i 
never signed on to2 but ,i did not know 
where  to find such a complete list4    
,i have paid no poll-tax for six years4 
,i was put into a jail once on  this    
account1 for one night2 and1 as ,i stood
 considering the walls of  solid stone1 
two or three feet thick1 the door of    
wood and iron1 a foot  thick1 and the   
iron grating which strained the light1  
,i could not help  being struck with the

 foolishness of that institution which  
treated me  as if ,i were mere flesh and
 blood and bones1 to be locked up4 ,i   
wondered that it should have concluded  
at length that this was the best  use it
 could put me to1 and had never thought 
to avail itself of my  services in some 
way4 ,i saw that1 if there was a wall of
 stone between  me and my townsmen1     
there was a still more difficult one to 
climb or  break through1 before they    
could get to be as free as ,i was4 ,i   
did nor  for a moment feel confined1 and
 the walls seemed a great waste of stone
  and mortar4 ,i felt as if ,i alone of 
all my townsmen had paid my tax4  ,they 
plainly did not know how to treat me1   
but behaved like persons who  are       
underbred4 ,in every threat and in every
 compliment there was a  blunder2 for   
they thought that my chief desire was to
 stand the other  side of that stone    
wall4 ,i could not but smile to see how 
industriously  they locked the door on  
my meditations1 which followed them out 

again  without let or hindrance1 and    
they were really all that was           
dangerous4 ,as they could not reach me1 
they had resolved to punish my  body2   
just as boys1 if they cannot come at    
some person against whom  they have a   
spite1 will abuse his dog4 ,i saw that  
the ,state was  half-witted1 that it was
 timid as a lone woman with her silver  
spoons1  and that it did not know its   
friends from its foes1 and ,i lost all  
my  remaining respect for it1 and pitied
 it4    ,thus the state never           
intentionally confronts a man's sense1  
intellectual or moral1 but only his     
body1 his senses4 ,it is not armed  with
 superior wit or honesty1 but with      
superior physical strength4 ,i  was not 
born to be forced4 ,i will breathe after
 my own fashion4 ,let us  see who is the
 strongest4 ,what force has a multitude8
 ,they only can  force me who obey a    
higher law than ,i4 ,they force me to   
become like  themselves4 ,i do not hear 
of men being forced to live this way or 

that by masses of men4 ,what sort of    
life were that to live8 ,when ,i meet  a
 government which says to me1 8,your    
money or your life10 why should ,i  be  
in haste to give it my money8 ,it may be
 in a great strait1 and not  know what  
to do3 ,i cannot help that4 ,it must    
help itself2 do as ,i do4  ,it is not   
worth the while to snivel about it4 ,i  
am not responsible for  the successful  
working of the machinery of society4 ,i 
am not the son of  the engineer4 ,i     
perceive that1 when an acorn and a      
chestnut fall side  by side1 the one    
does not remain inert to make way for   
the other1 but  both obey their own     
laws1 and spring and grow and flourish  
as best they  can1 till one1 perchance1 
overshadows and destroys the other4 ,if 
a  plant cannot live according to its   
nature1 it dies2 and so a man4          
,the night in prison was novel and      
interesting enough4 ,the prisoners in   
their shirt-sleeves were enjoying a chat
 and the evening air in the  door-way1  

when ,i entered4 ,but the jailer said1  
8,come1 boys1 it is time  to lock up20  
and so they dispersed1 and ,i heard the 
sound of their  steps returning into the
 hollow apartments4 ,my room-mate was   
introduced  to me by the jailer as 8a   
first-rate fellow and a clever man40    
,when the  door was locked1 he showed me
 where to hang my hat1 and how he       
managed  matters there4 ,the rooms were 
whitewashed once a month2 and this one1 
at least1 was the whitest1 most simply  
furnished1 and probably the  neatest    
apartment in town4 ,he naturally wanted 
to know where ,i came  from1 and what   
brought me there2 and1 when ,i had told 
him1 ,i asked him  in my turn how he    
came there1 presuming him to be an      
honest man1 of  course2 and1 as the     
world goes1 ,i believe he was4 8,why10  
said he1 8they  accuse me of burning a  
barn2 but ,i never did it40 ,as near as 
,i could  discover1 he had probably gone
 to bed in a barn when drunk1 and smoked
  his pipe there2 and so a barn was     

burnt4 ,he had the reputation of being  
a clever man1 had been there some three 
months waiting for his trial to  come   
on1 and would have to wait as much      
longer2 but he was quite  domesticated  
and contented1 since he got his board   
for nothing1 and  thought that he was   
well treated4    ,he occupied one       
window1 and ,i the other2 and ,i saw1   
that1 if one stayed  there long1 his    
principal business would be to look out 
the window4 ,i  had soon read all the   
tracts that were left there1 and        
examined where  former prisoners had    
broken out1 and where a grate had been  
sawed off1  and heard the history of the
 various occupants of that room2 for ,i 
found that even here there was a history
 and a gossip which never  circulated   
beyond the walls of the jail4 ,probably 
this is the only  house in the town     
where verses are composed1 which are    
afterward  printed in a circular form1  
but not published4 ,i was shown quite a 
long  list of verses which were composed

 by some young men who had been         
detected in an attempt to escape1 who   
avenged themselves by singing  them4    
,i pumped my fellow-prisoner as dry as  
,i could1 for fear ,i should never  see 
him again2 but at length he showed me   
which was my bed1 and left me  to blow  
out the lamp4    ,it was like travelling
 into a far country1 such as ,i had     
never expected  to behold1 to lie there 
for one night4 ,it seemed to me that ,i 
never had  heard the town-clock strike  
before1 nor the evening sounds of the   
village2 for we slept with the windows  
open1 which were inside the  grating4   
,it was to see my native village in the 
light of the ,middle  ,ages1 and our    
,concord was turned into a ,rhine       
stream1 and visions of  knights and     
castles passed before me4 ,they were the
 voices of old  burghers that ,i heard  
in the streets4 ,i was an involuntary   
spectator  and auditor of whatever was  
done and said in the kitchen of the     
adjacent village-inn--a wholly new and  

rare experience to me4 ,it was a  closer
 view of my native town4 ,i was fairly  
inside of it4 ,i never had  seen its    
institutions before4 ,this is one of its
 peculiar institutions2  for it is a    
shire town4 ,i began to comprehend what 
its inhabitants were  about4    ,in the 
morning1 our breakfasts were put through
 the hole in the door1  in small        
oblong-square tin pans1 made to fit1 and
 holding a pint of  chocolate1 with     
brown bread1 and an iron spoon4 ,when   
they called for  the vessels again1 ,i  
was green enough to return what bread ,i
 had left2  but my comrade seized it1   
and said that ,i should lay that up for 
lunch  or dinner4 ,soon after1 he was   
let out to work at haying in a          
neighboring field1 whither he went every
 day1 and would not be back  till noon2 
so he bade me good-day1 saying that he  
doubted if he should  see me again4     
,when ,i came out of prison1--for some  
one interfered1 and paid the tax1--,i   
did not perceive that great changes had 

taken place on the common1 such  as he  
observed who went in a youth1 and       
emerged a gray-headed man2 and  yet a   
change had to my eyes come over the     
scene1--the town1 and ,state1  and      
country1--greater than any that mere    
time could effect4 ,i saw yet  more     
distinctly the ,state in which ,i lived4
 ,i saw to what extent the  people among
 whom ,i lived could be trusted as good 
neighbors and  friends2 that their      
friendship was for summer weather only2 
that they  did not greatly purpose to do
 right2 that they were a distinct race  
from me by their prejudices and         
superstitions1 as the ,chinamen and     
,malays are2 that1 in their sacrifices  
to humanity they ran no risks1  not even
 to their property2 that1 after all1    
they were not so noble but  they treated
 the thief as he had treated them1 and  
hoped1 by a certain  outward observance 
and a few prayers1 and by walking in a  
particular  straight though useless path
 from time to time1 to save their souls4

  ,this may be to judge my neighbors    
harshly2 for ,i believe that most of    
them are not aware that they have such  
an institution as the jail in  their    
village4    ,it was formerly the custom 
in our village1 when a poor debtor came 
out  of jail1 for his acquaintances to  
salute him1 looking through their       
fingers1 which were crossed to represent
 the grating of a jail window1  8,how do
 ye do80 ,my neighbors did not thus     
salute me1 but first looked  at me1 and 
then at one another1 as if ,i had       
returned from a long  journey4 ,i was   
put into jail as ,i was going to the    
shoemaker's to get a  shoe which was    
mended4 ,when ,i was let out the next   
morning1 ,i proceeded  to finish my     
errand1 and1 having put on my mended    
shoe1 joined a  huckleberry party1 who  
were impatient to put themselves under  
my  conduct2 and in half an hour1--for  
the horse was soon tackled1--was in  the
 midst of a huckleberry field1 on one of
 our highest hills1 two  miles off2 and 

then the ,state was nowhere to be seen4 
,this is the whole history of 8,my      
,prisons40        ,i have never declined
 paying the highway tax1 because ,i am  
as desirous  of being a good neighbor as
 ,i am of being a bad subject2 and1 as  
for  supporting schools1 ,i am doing my 
part to educate my fellow-countrymen    
now4 ,it is for no particular item in   
the tax-bill that ,i refuse to pay  it4 
,i simply wish to refuse allegiance to  
the ,state1 to withdraw and  stand aloof
 from it effectually4 ,i do not care to 
trace the course of  my dollar1 if ,i   
could1 till it buys a man1 or a musket  
to shoot one  with1--the dollar is      
innocent1--but ,i am concerned to trace 
the effects  of my allegiance4 ,in fact1
 ,i quietly declare war with the ,state1
 after  my fashion1 though ,i will still
 make use and get what advantages of her
  ,i can1 as is usual in such cases4    
,if others pay the tax which is demanded
 of me1 from a sympathy with the        
,state1 they do but what they have      

already done in their own case1 or      
rather they abet injustice to a greater 
extent than the ,state requires4  ,if   
they pay the tax from a mistaken        
interest in the individual taxed1  to   
save his property or prevent his going  
to jail1 it is because they  have not   
considered wisely how far they let their
 private feelings  interfere with the   
public good4    ,this1 then1 is my      
position at present4 ,but one cannot be 
too much on  his guard in such a case1  
lest his actions be biassed by          
obstinacy1 or  an undue regard for the  
opinions of men4 ,let him see that he   
does only  what belongs to himself and  
to the hour4    ,i think sometimes1     
,why1 this people mean well2 they are   
only ignorant2  they would do better if 
they knew how3 why give your neighbors  
this  pain to treat you as they are not 
inclined to8 ,but ,i think1 again1 this 
is no reason why ,i should do as they   
do1 or permit others to suffer  much    
greater pain of a different kind4       

,again1 ,i sometimes say to  myself1    
,when many millions of men1 without     
heat1 without ill-will1  without        
personal feeling of any kind1 demand of 
you a few shillings  only1 without the  
possibility1 such is their constitution1
 of  retracting or altering their       
present demand1 and without the         
possibility1 on your side1 of appeal to 
any other millions1 why expose  yourself
 to this overwhelming brute force8 ,you 
do not resist cold and  hunger1 the     
winds and the waves1 thus obstinately2  
you quietly submit  to a thousand       
similar necessities4 ,you do not put    
your head into the  fire4 ,but just in  
proportion as ,i regard this as not     
wholly a brute  force1 but partly a     
human force1 and consider that ,i have  
relations to  those millions as to so   
many millions of men1 and not of mere   
brute or  inanimate things1 ,i see that 
appeal is possible1 first and           
instantaneously1 from them to the ,maker
 of them1 and1 secondly1 from  them to  

themselves4 ,but1 if ,i put my head     
deliberately into the fire1  there is no
 appeal to fire or to the ,maker of     
fire1 and ,i have only  myself to blame4
 ,if ,i could convince myself that ,i   
have any right to be  satisfied with men
 as they are1 and to treat them         
accordingly1 and not  according1 in some
 respects1 to my requisitions and       
expectations of  what they and ,i ought 
to be1 then1 like a good ,mussulman and 
fatalist1  ,i should endeavor to be     
satisfied with things as they are1 and  
say it  is the will of ,god4 ,and1 above
 all1 there is this difference between  
resisting this and a purely brute or    
natural force1 that ,i can resist  this 
with some effect2 but ,i cannot expect1 
like ,orpheus1 to change the  nature of 
the rocks and trees and beasts4    ,i do
 not wish to quarrel with any man or    
nation4 ,i do not wish to split  hairs1 
to make fine distinctions1 or set myself
 up as better than my  neighbors4 ,i    
seek rather1 ,i may say1 even an excuse 

for conforming to  the laws of the land4
 ,i am but too ready to conform to them4
 ,indeed ,i  have reason to suspect     
myself on this head2 and each year1 as  
the  tax-gatherer comes round1 ,i find  
myself disposed to review the acts and  
position of the general and state       
governments1 and the spirit of the      
people to discover a pretext for        
conformity4      8,we must affect our   
country as our parents1    ,and if at   
any time we alienate    ,out love of    
industry from doing it honor1    ,we    
must respect effects and teach the soul 
,matter of conscience and religion1     
,and not desire of rule or benefit40    
,i believe that the ,state will soon be 
able to take all my work of this  sort  
out of my hands1 and then ,i shall be no
 better patriot than my                 
fellow-countrymen4 ,seen from a lower   
point of view1 the ,constitution1  with 
all its faults1 is very good2 the law   
and the courts are very  respectable2   
even this ,state and this ,american     

government are1 in many  respects1 very 
admirable1 and rare things1 to be       
thankful for1 such as  a great many have
 described them2 seen from a higher     
still1 and the  highest1 who shall say  
what they are1 or that they are worth   
looking at  or thinking of at all8      
,however1 the government does not       
concern me much1 and ,i shall bestow    
the fewest possible thoughts on it4 ,it 
is not many moments that ,i live  under 
a government1 even in this world4 ,if a 
man is thought-free1  fancy-free1       
imagination-free1 that which is not     
never for a long time  appearing to be  
to him1 unwise rulers or reformers      
cannot fatally  interrupt him4    ,i    
know that most men think differently    
from myself2 but those whose  lives are 
by profession devoted to the study of   
these or kindred  subjects content me as
 little as any4 ,statesmen and          
legislators1  standing so completely    
within the institution1 never distinctly
 and  nakedly behold it4 ,they speak of 

moving society1 but have no             
resting-place without it4 ,they may be  
men of a certain experience and         
discrimination1 and have no doubt       
invented ingenious and even useful      
systems1 for which we sincerely thank   
them2 but all their wit and  usefulness 
lie within certain not very wide limits4
 ,they are wont to  forget that the     
world is not governed by policy and     
expediency4 ,webster  never goes behind 
government1 and so cannot speak with    
authority about  it4 ,his words are     
wisdom to those legislators who         
contemplate no  essential reform in the 
existing government2 but for thinkers1  
and  those who legislate for all time1  
he never once glances at the subject4   
,i know of those whose serene and wise  
speculations on this theme would  soon  
reveal the limits of his mind's range   
and hospitality4 ,yet1  compared with   
the cheap professions of most reformers1
 and the still  cheaper wisdom and      
eloquence of politicians in general1 his

 are almost  the only sensible and      
valuable words1 and we thank ,heaven for
 him4  ,comparatively1 he is always     
strong1 original1 and1 above all1       
practical4 ,still his quality is not    
wisdom1 but prudence4 ,the lawyer's     
truth is not ,truth1 but consistency or 
a consistent expediency4 ,truth  is     
always in harmony with herself1 and is  
not concerned chiefly to  reveal the    
justice that may consist with           
wrong-doing4 ,he well deserves  to be   
called1 as he has been called1 the      
,defender of the ,constitution4  ,there 
are really no blows to be given by him  
but defensive ones4 ,he is  not a       
leader1 but a follower4 ,his leaders are
 the men of '#hg4 8,i have  never made  
an effort10 he says1 8and never propose 
to make an effort2 ,i  have never       
countenanced an effort1 and never mean  
to countenance an  effort1 to disturb   
the arrangement as originally made1 by  
which the  various ,states came into the
 ,union40 ,still thinking of the        

sanction  which the ,constitution gives 
to slavery1 he says1 8,because it was   
part  of the original compact1--let it  
stand40 ,notwithstanding his special    
acuteness and ability1 he is unable to  
take a fact out of its merely  political
 relations1 and behold it as it lies    
absolutely to be disposed  of by the    
intellect1--what1 for instance1 it      
behoves a man to do here in  ,america   
today with regard to slavery1 but       
ventures1 or is driven1 to  make some   
such desperate answer as the following1 
while professing to  speak absolutely1  
and as a private man1--from which what  
new and  singular code of social duties 
might be inferred8--8,the manner10 says 
he1 8in which the governments of those  
,states where slavery exists are  to    
regulate it1 is for their own           
consideration1 under the  responsibility
 to their constituents1 to the general  
laws of propriety1  humanity1 and       
justice1 and to ,god4 ,associations     
formed elsewhere1  springing from a     

feeling of humanity1 or any other cause1
 have nothing  whatever to do with it4  
,they have never received any           
encouragement from  me and they never   
will40 ,these extracts have been        
inserted since the  ,lecture was read   
--,,hdt    ,they who know of no purer   
sources of truth1 who have traced up its
  stream no higher1 stand1 and wisely   
stand1 by the ,bible and the            
,constitution1 and drink at it there    
with reverence and humanity2 but  they  
who behold where it comes trickling into
 this lake or that pool1  gird up their 
loins once more1 and continue their     
pilgrimage toward its  fountain-head4   
,no man with a genius for legislation   
has appeared in ,america4 ,they are     
rare in the history of the world4 ,there
 are orators1 politicians1 and  eloquent
 men1 by the thousand2 but the speaker  
has not yet opened his  mouth to speak  
who is capable of settling the          
much-vexed questions of  the day4 ,we   
love eloquence for its own sake1 and not

 for any truth  which it may utter1 or  
any heroism it may inspire4 ,our        
legislators have  not yet learned the   
comparative value of free-trade and of  
freedom1 of  union1 and of rectitude1 to
 a nation4 ,they have no genius or      
talent for  comparatively humble        
questions of taxation and finance1      
commerce and  manufactures and          
agriculture4 ,if we were left solely to 
the wordy wit  of legislators in        
,congress for our guidance1 uncorrected 
by the  seasonable experience and the   
effectual complaints of the people1     
,america would not long retain her rank 
among the nations4 ,for eighteen        
hundred years1 though perchance ,i have 
no right to say it1 the ,new  ,testament
 has been written2 yet where is the     
legislator who has wisdom  and practical
 talent enough to avail himself of the  
light which it  sheds on the science of 
legislation4    ,the authority of       
government1 even such as ,i am willing  
to submit  to1--for ,i will cheerfully  

obey those who know and can do better   
than ,i1  and in many things even those 
who neither know nor can do so well1--is
  still an impure one3 to be strictly   
just1 it must have the sanction and     
consent of the governed4 ,it can have no
 pure right over my person and  property
 but what ,i concede to it4 ,the        
progress from an absolute to a  limited 
monarchy1 from a limited monarchy to a  
democracy1 is a progress  toward a true 
respect for the individual4 ,even the   
,chinese philosopher  was wise enough to
 regard the individual as the basis of  
the empire4 ,is  a democracy1 such as we
 know it1 the last improvement possible 
in  government8 ,is it not possible to  
take a step further towards  recognizing
 and organizing the rights of man8      
,there will never be a  really free and 
enlightened ,state1 until the ,state    
comes to recognize  the individual as a 
higher and independent power1 from which
 all its  own power and authority are   
derived1 and treats him accordingly4 ,i 

please myself with imagining a ,state at
 last which can afford to be  just to   
all men1 and to treat the individual    
with respect as a  neighbor2 which even 
would not think it inconsistent with its
 own  repose1 if a few were to live     
aloof from it1 not meddling with it1 nor
  embraced by it1 who fulfilled all the 
duties of neighbors and  fellow-men4 ,a 
,state which bore this kind of fruit1   
and suffered it to  drop off as fast as 
it ripened1 would prepare the way for a 
still more  perfect and glorious ,state1
 which also ,i have imagined1 but not   
yet  anywhere seen4