Robert Owen

"Knowledge and goodness are the true sources of power."

"The rational development of human faculties is the path to happiness."

"Society must be reconstructed on principles of science and reason."

"The character of man is formed by his circumstances."

"I knew that society was wrong when it told me I could only be one thing."

"The true wealth of a nation lies not in gold but in the minds of its people."

"To change institutions, you must first change the hearts of men."

"I have uniformly acted on the principle that it is the interest of the employing classes to pay good wages."

"The happiness of mankind depends upon the proper distribution of wealth and knowledge."

"All the evils of society spring from ignorance and the misdirection of the human powers."

"I am not ashamed to own that I have been the subject of much ridicule and opposition."

"The principle of universal benevolence must be the foundation of all improvement."

"Man is not born the enemy of man; circumstances make him so."

"The poor are not poor because they are idle, but because they lack proper training."

"I have been endeavoring to produce a fundamental change in the character of society."

"Irrational systems produce irrational conduct in the people they govern."

"The real foundation of any future and permanent improvement must be laid in the mind."

"To remove the evil, you must remove the cause of it."

"I have spent my life proving that business and benevolence are not enemies."

"No man can be forced to be happy against his will."

"The education of the poor has been most shamefully neglected."

"I see in the establishment of schools the greatest hope for mankind's progress."

"True cooperation requires that all parties benefit equally."

"Man's nature is not fixed; it is capable of infinite improvement."

"I reject entirely the notion that some men are born to rule others."

"The working classes must educate themselves to know their own power."

"Poverty is not a misfortune; it is a crime—a crime against humanity."

"I have devoted myself to showing that profit and justice can coexist."

"The character of nations is formed in their nurseries."

"Without mutual respect, no society can be truly civilized."