Who said this?

I saw this somewhere, and can't remember who said it. The exact words escape me but it was along the lines of what I've shown above.  

Comments

[ian]

I have a vague memory of something like this in Heinlein.

[Jordan]

"Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master."

-Sallust (Gaius Sallustius Crispus)

[Martin Cole]

Sounds like something from Michael Rivero, who was the source for the material for one of my first postings on 'Ironies' years back and that is now the footer for its replacement blog:

"Most people prefer to believe that their leaders are just and fair, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which they live is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it. To take action in the face of a corrupt Government risks harm to life and loved ones. To choose to do nothing is to surrender one's self image of standing for principles. Most people do not have the courage to face that choice. Hence, most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker, but only to give the moral cowards an excuse to think nothing at all."

[Bishop Hill]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Jordan has it though - I read Tom Holland's Rubicon a few weeks back, so that must have been where I saw it.

Sallust it is.