Those who declare, today, that force is the only way to deal with men (with the
unstated footnote that they, the speakers, would be safe in the position of
rulers), ought to take a careful look at the history of absolute
monarchies—and of modern dictatorships as well. Under the rule of force, it is
the rulers who are in greatest danger, who live—and die—in permanent terror.
The court intrigues, the plots and counterplots, the coups d’état, the known
executions and secret assassinations are a matter of record. So are the purges
of Party leaders and their cliques, in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.