Proudhon on the Two Types of Property

“There are different kinds of property:

1. Property pure and simple, the dominant and seigniorial power over a thing; or, as they term it, naked property.

2. Possession.

“Possession,” says Duranton, “is a matter of fact, not of right.”

Toullier: “Property is a right, a legal power; possession is a fact.”

The tenant, the farmer, the commanditè, the usufructuary, are possessors; the owner who lets and lends for use, the heir who is to come into possession on the death of a usufructuary, are proprietors. If I may venture the comparison: a lover is a possessor, a husband is a proprietor.”

- “What is Property?” Ch. 2