State and Individual: Political Concepts In Modern Political Writings

¿The sole end for which mankind is warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. His own good either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. A state which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished. To justify that, the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to someone else. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign ¿