October 4, 2026

There are few minds to which tyranny is not delightful.

Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784), British critic, poet and lexicographer, The Cynic’s Lexicon, Jonathon Green, ed. (London: 1986), p. 109

MEDITATION: Tell the truth! Is the power of tyranny—exercised by you—an attractive proposition, or do you just delight in carrying out other people’s orders? Like a good Nazi! Sorry, that was a cheap shot, but you get the point.

COMMENTARY: Johnson understood the intoxication of power. Tyranny appeals because it removes friction—no need to persuade, only to command.

The tragedy is that even good people learn to enjoy other people’s obedience when it flatters their own sense of order. And never forget that democracy—the idea of which so many of us prize like gold—is the most disorderly of all forms of government.