5 h 53 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the greatest threat to your freedom is the pressure to think like everyone else?
In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill asks how much power society or government should hold over your life. His concern reaches beyond kings and tyrants. In a growing democracy, ordinary opinion can press people to think alike, speak alike and surrender the freedom to choose their own way.
Mill draws a boundary: power over an individual must serve to prevent harm to others. From that starting point, he defends open discussion, personal choice and different ways of living. His argument moves from the danger of silencing opinions to the difficult business of applying liberty to practical questions.
What you’ll discover
- A boundary for power Consider Mill’s rule for when society may rightly interfere with an individual’s choices.
- The cost of silence Explore why Mill defends discussion even when nearly everyone believes an opinion is false.
- Room to live differently Follow his case for individuality as part of human wellbeing, not merely a private preference.
- The pressure of opinion Recognize the quieter force that pushes people toward the same thoughts and habits.
- Principles put to work Weigh practical questions where liberty demands careful judgment rather than a simple slogan.
Is it for you?
This book suits anyone who wants to think clearly about free speech, personal choice and the limits of the state, and students of politics or ethics who need the source. If you want a plain story or an easy read, its dense Victorian argument may feel slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Society may only prevent harm to others
- Silencing any opinion robs everyone
- Individuality is a part of human wellbeing
- Your own conduct is your own business
- Where the principle meets real policy
- Critics, limits and a lasting question
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 5 h 53 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Sobre la libertad in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Sobre la libertad
by John Stuart Mill· 1859
Individual freedom sets limits on government and social pressure.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Español
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Society may only prevent harm to others
Mill opens by saying that the old struggle for liberty was a struggle against rulers. People wanted protection from the power of kings. Once rulers became elected, many thought the problem was solved, because the people would hardly oppress themselves. Mill disagrees. The people who hold power are not always the same as the people on whom it is used, and a majority can act as a tyrant over a minority.
He goes further and says that social tyranny can be worse than political tyranny. A government can be limited by law, but public opinion reaches into private life. It punishes by scorn, by gossip and by shutting people out, and it leaves few ways to escape. So Mill argues that we need protection against the ruling feeling of the age, as well as against officials.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
John Stuart Mill
1806–1873 · British philosopher and political economist
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher and political economist, born in London in 1806. He wrote A System of Logic (1843), On Liberty (1859), Utilitarianism (1861), and The Subjection of Women (1869). He lived in England and France and died in Avignon in 1873. His Autobiography appeared that year.
“That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by John Stuart Mill
All 7 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Sobre la libertad
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is On Liberty about?
It is about the limits of power over the individual. Mill argues that society may restrict a person's freedom only to prevent harm to others, and he defends free speech, free thought and the right to choose your own way of life.
What is the harm principle in On Liberty?
The harm principle is Mill's rule that power may be used against a person in a civilized society only to stop him harming others. His own good, physical or moral, is not enough reason to force him.
When was On Liberty written and published?
Mill published it in 1859, in Victorian England. He wrote it with the help and inspiration of his wife, Harriet Taylor Mill, who died in 1858. It is an argument, not a story, and it is not a work of fiction.
Popular in philosophy & ideas
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
