Definitions HQ

A State (n.) exists ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to protect against forces from without, forces from within — and against the protectors; give it any other purpose and the true one is imperilled.

A State (n.) perfectly ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠run produces the same outward result as universal justice of heart, drawn from the opposite direction — a beast of prey in a muzzle is as harmless as a grazing animal.

A State (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠egoism grown rational: seeing that the pleasure of inflicting wrong is always outweighed by the pain of suffering it, and that each is likelier to suffer than to inflict, everyone renounces the one to be spared the other.

A State (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not care what you wish, only what you do: it will forbid no one to carry murder and poison in his thoughts, so long as it knows the fear of the sword and the wheel will hold them back.

A State (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not an institution for morality but the common egoism of all, well understood; it presupposes that pure morality is not to be expected — otherwise it would be superfluous.