“Political power, in my opinion, cannot be our ultimate aim. It is one of the means used by men for their all-round advancement. The power to control national life through national representatives is called political power. Representatives will become unnecessary if the national life becomes so perfect as to be self-controlled. It will then be a state of enlightened anarchy in which each person will become his own ruler. He will conduct himself in such a way that his behaviour will not hamper the well-being of his neighbours. In an ideal State there will be no political institution and therefore no political power. That is why Thoreau has said in his classic statement that "that government is the best which governs the least".”
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About this quote
Power over others is a tool for a job, never the point, and the job is people advancing themselves. The more each person governs their own conduct — acting so as not to harm a neighbor — the less outside authority anyone needs. Seen this way, the aim of good rule is to make itself gradually unnecessary.
When to use it
- A manager coaches her team to make their own calls until she is rarely needed in the room.
- A parent slowly hands a teenager real responsibility so the household runs without constant policing.
- A co-op writes rules light enough that neighbors settle most disputes among themselves.