“Innocence is not virtue. Virtue demands the active employment of an ardent mind in the promotion of the general good. No man can be eminently virtuous who is not accustomed to an extensive range of reflection.”

English journalist, political philosopher and novelist

William Godwin was an English journalist, political philosopher, and novelist. He is remembered as an important figure in late 18th and early 19th century political thought, and as an early writer associated with both utilitarianism and anarchism. His work helped shape modern debates about government, individual freedom, and social reform. Godwin wrote as both a thinker and a novelist, and his ideas placed him among the early voices that challenged established political authority.