Quote#Politics & Power
In the first place, the government ought not to be invested with…
Quote byLydia Maria Child · 1802–1880
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: An Appeal on Behalf of That Class of Americans Called Africans (1833), Chapter VIII.
English (original)
In the first place, the government ought not to be invested with power to control the affections, any more than the consciences of citizens. A man has at least as good a right to choose his wife, as he has to choose his religion. His taste may not suit his neighbors; but so long as his deportment is correct, they have no right to interfere with his concerns.
— Lydia Maria Child
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