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“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying “this is mine”,…”
“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying “this is mine”,…”

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“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying “this is mine”, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: “Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody.””

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality

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