Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already.
Henry David Thoreau On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849)
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When and why it was written
- When
- From On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, first published in 1849.
- Why
- Thoreau is explaining why he refused to pay a tax that supported slavery and war.
What it means
Thoreau argues that being right does not wait for numbers. One person acting on conscience already counts.
It is a bracing reminder that conviction does not need permission.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, 1849
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