Civil Disobedience — Henry David Thoreau

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Essay thesis

Thoreau argues that conscience is higher than government, and that citizens must refuse cooperation with injustice. A just person should not wait passively for the majority to reform the state; they must withdraw support from evil, even at personal cost. > That government is best which governs least. > Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.

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Best government governs least

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Thoreau begins from suspicion of government power. Government is at best an expedient, often an obstacle, and its authority should be limited. He radicalizes a familiar slogan toward the idea that the best government may eventually be one that does not govern at all. > I heartily accept the motto, That government is best which governs least. > That government is best which governs not at all.

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