“Sympathy is one of the principles most widely rooted in our nature: we rejoice to see ourselves reflected in another; and, perversely enough, we sometimes have a secret pleasure in seeing the sin which dwells in ourselves existing under a deformed and monstrous aspect in another.”

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.