Note 867 — Chapter II · : STATE SOCIALISM
R. (Robert) Richards translation
“The distinctive character of the State merely consists in this necessity to have recourse to force, which also helps to indicate the extent and the proper limits of its action. Government is only possible through the intervention of force, and its action is only legitimate when the intervention of force can be shown to be justifiable.” (Harmonies, 10th ed., pp. 552-553.)