Forgot the link….
“My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy(philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs). The most improper job of any man is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all who seek the opportunity.” – J.R.R Tolkien
Mike
Mike,
It is indeed encouraging that Tolkien (1892-1973), creator of one of the most captivating alternative worlds ever ("The Lord of the Rings", etc.), had libertarian political leanings. It would be interesting to see the full quote and its context. Here is how I have it listed in my quote file (I don't have a link unfortunately, but do have a source citation):
“My political beliefs lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs) – or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy... Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, in a letter to his son Christopher, 1943
In the version quoted at the link you provide, I would parenthetically insert the word "those" into the last sentence:
"The most improper job of any man is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all (those) who seek the opportunity."
I note that Tolkien apparently did not say that his statement applies only to those working in government, and wonder to what extent he may have opposed hierarchy in companies or other organizations. Historically, those who've considered themselves anarchists (including the libertarian-leaning ones) have often viewed authoritarianism as a problem that extends beyond state control (as illustrated by another quote from my file):
“19th-century libertarians… tended to be ‘radical’ or ‘dialectical’ thinkers in Chris Sciabarra’s sense; they viewed state power as part of an interlocking system of mutually reinforcing social practices and structures, and were intensely interested in the institutional and cultural accompaniments of statism – accompaniments which both drew support from and provided support to the power of the state.”
— Roderick Long (Ludwig von Mises Institute)
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))