Quotes by Lysander Spooner
1808 – 1887
Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) was a legal theorist, abolitionist, and radical individualist who started his own mail company in order to challenge the monopoly held by the US government. He wrote on the constitutionality of slavery, natural law, trial by jury, intellectual property, paper currency, and banking.
Bio
See the Liberty Matters online discussion on The Significance of Lysander Spooner
Spooner featured as the January 2021 OLL Birthday. Read it here
For additional information about Lysander Spooner see the following:
- see the chronological and thematic listing of all 36 works by Spooner in the OLL collection. This provides access to the HTML versions of all of his works
Law
Lysander Spooner on Jury Nullification as the "palladium of liberty" against the tyranny of government (1852)
Justice
Lysander Spooner spells out his theory of “mine and thine”, or the science of natural law and justice, which alone can ensure that mankind lives in peace (1882)
Taxation
Lysander Spooner argues that according to the traditional English common law, taxation would not be upheld because no explicit consent was given by individuals to be taxed (1852)
Food & Drink
Lysander Spooner on the idea that laws against “vice” (victimless crimes) are unjust (1875)
Law
Spooner states the importance of the 9th Amendment to the American Constitution which protects the natural rights of the people not enumerated in the first 8 Amendments (1886)
The State
Spooner on the difference between a government and a highwayman (1870)
Politics & Liberty
Spooner on the “knaves,” the “dupes,” and “do-nothings” among government supporters (1870)
Economics
Spooner on the “natural right to labor” and to acquire all one honestly can (1846)
Economics
Lysander Spooner on why government monopolies like the post office are inherently inefficient (1844)