“Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has any right to but himself.”John Locke · Al doilea tratat despre cârmuire · 1689 · capitolul 5, paragraful 27
The exclusive right over one's own person is the foundation of all other property rights.
Locke establishes that self-ownership is fundamental: no one can claim the right to control another's body or mind. From this right derives the right to property over goods created by labor. For example, if a farmer cultivates a field, the harvest belongs to him because he has invested his labor, which is an extension of his person.
Locke says your labor belongs to you because you belong to yourself. When a baker kneads dough, the bread is his, not the oven's or the mayor's. This means no one can take what you created without your consent. But what about resources you did not work on, like water from a river? This is the question that moves the idea forward.
Why it matters Today, this principle is essential for defending individual liberty against collectivism and the state that claims to own its citizens.