 These writings formed part of a book-length manuscript that, because of the fear of censorship for its radical liberal position, was published only posthumously in 1851 under the title Versuch die Grenzen der Wirksamkeit des Staates zu bestimmen (Engl. transl., 1854: The Spheres and Duties of Government). It represents the classical statement of the liberal humanist tradition in German political thought which, however, seems to have found a more appreciative readership in nineteenth century England (Matthew Arnold, John Stuart Mill), than in Humboldt’s native Germany. The Marxists (Lasalle) and conservative nationalists (Treitschke) alike rejected his ideas and his staunch defense of the rights of the individual. John Stuart Mill, on the other hand, used a quote from Humboldt’s text as motto for his own treatise On Liberty.