A short thought

[fpb]

Liberty is not itself a virtue, but it is the condition without which no virtue can meritoriously or properly be exercised. Not even obedience; for obedience at the point of a gun is not a virtue.

Comments

[fpb.livejournal.com]

The moment you rebel against armed threats, you assert your liberty and your virtue (unless, of course, it is the rebellion of someone in the wrong, like a thief resisting arrest).

Which in turn, asks the question: when a thief surrenders without a fight, is he giving up to superior power or superior moral position? If he takes the attitude "it's a fair cop, guv", probably the second.