It is absurd to expect the inclinations and wishes of two human beings to coincide, through any long period of time. To oblige them to act and live together is to subject them to some inevitable potion of thwarting, bickering, and unhappiness.
William GodwinGovernment can have no more than two legitimate purposes - the suppression of injustice against individuals within the community, and the common defense against external invasion.
William GodwinIf he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is weak.
William GodwinEverything that is usually understood by the term co-operation is, in some degree, an evil.
William Godwin