The Autobiography of John Stuart Mill

Written near the end of his life and published in 1873, this account traces how one of the nineteenth century’s foremost thinkers was made. Mill describes the extraordinary education his father imposed on him, learning Greek at three and political economy in childhood, and the mental breakdown in his twenties that followed. He credits poetry, especially Wordsworth, and later his relationship with Harriet Taylor, with restoring balance to a mind trained almost entirely for argument. Along the way he charts his shifting views on politics, ethics, and reform. Honest about doubt and about his debts to others, it remains a candid study of intellectual growth. Offered here as a free PDF and EPUB edition.