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Works of Henry David Thoreau: On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

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From: Monarch Notes
Date: 19630101
Author:Thoreau, Henry David

Thoreau, Henry David
Monarch Notes
01-01-1963
On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

Thoreau begins this now-famous essay by agreeing with the motto, "That
government is best which governs least." He explains: "For government is an
expedient by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and,
as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone
by it." He realizes, however, that this sort of government can come only when
men "are prepared for it"; and he adds, "to speak practically and as a
citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask ...

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