John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (Henry Holt, New York: 1895), Chapter 3, pp. 106-107
“
Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing.
— John Stuart Mill on Human nature
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing." in the context of "John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (Henry Holt, New York: 1895), Chapter 3, pp. 106-107" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Human nature" (M)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.
About John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.
View all quotes →