I’d tell them, Niccolò responds, that the freedom I speak of isn’t private licence to do whatever one chooses.4 If anyone says that there is no true freedom where the laws leave no room for individuals to choose what work they do, whom to marry, how many children to have, or what opinions to hold and speak short of calumny, I’d agree with them. But when I say libertà I mean public freedom, which can only be preserved if I accept laws that set bounds on my choices, and on everyone else’s. In a world I’m forced to share with others who have their own equally stubborn desires, what could be less
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machia defining freedom as a private right, but doesn't deny tht iron fist laws aren't totalitarian. needs citation ugh
