Quotation by

Leo Tolstoy

Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Tolstoy is saying that a government is a group of people who use force or violence against others to maintain control. This means that the power of the government relies on its ability to impose its will, often through coercion or threats.

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A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take …
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.

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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil in its worst state, an intolerable one.