Quotes by John Emerich Edward Dalberg, Lord Acton
1834 – 1902
Lord Acton (1834-1902) was one of the great historians of the Victorian period and one of the greatest classical liberal historians of all time. His theme was “the history of liberty” and even though he was never able to complete his magnum opus of that name he did write numerous essays, book reviews, and lectures. He also was the inspiration behind the multi-volume Cambridge Modern History.
Bio
See also our collection of extracts, essays, and study guides about Lord Acton.
Acton featured as the January 2023 OLL Birthday. Read it here
Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots
Lord Acton writes to Bishop Creighton that the same moral standards should be applied to all men, political and religious leaders included, especially since “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (1887)
Politics & Liberty
Lord Acton on the destruction of the liberal Girondin group and the suicide of Condorcet during the French Revolution (1910)
Revolution
Lord Acton on the storming of “the instrument and the emblem of tyranny” in Paris, the Bastille, on July 14, 1789 (1910)
Religion & Toleration
Lord Acton argues that civil liberty arose out of the conflict between the power of the Church and the Monarchy (1877)