Tyrannies

 

Ἐκ τῶν πασῶν τῶν δεσποτείων, δεσποτεία ἕνεκα τῶν πασχόντων ἀπλῶς διοκουμένη βαρυτάτη εἴη. Ἀμείνων εἴη ἀρχιλῃστῶν ἀρχόντων βιοῦν ἢ παγκρατῶν σωφρονιστικῶν. Ἡ μὲν τοῦ ἀρχιλῃστοῦ ὠμότης ἐνίοτε καθεύδῃ, ἡ δὲ φιλοχρηματία ἔσθ’ ὅτε κορέστος· ἀλλ’ οἱ ἡμῶν ἕνεκα αἰκιζομένοι ἡμᾶς αἰκίσονται ἐκτὸς τῷ παύεσθαι, αἰκίζονται γὰρ εὐσυνειδήτοι.

 

Ek tôn pasôn tôn despoteíōn, despoteía héneka tôn paschóntōn aplôs diokouménē barytátē eíē. Ameínōn eíē archilēstôn archóntōn bioûn ē pankratôn sōphronistikôn. Hē men toû archilēstoû ōmótēs eníote katheúdē, hē de philochrēmatía ésth’ hóte koréstos; all’ hoi hēmôn héneka aikizoménoi hēmâs aikísontai ektos tô paúesthai, aikízontai gar eusyneidḗtoi.

 

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

 

—C. S. Lewis