The brave man, inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts her in the hour of danger.
Andrew JacksonRead
The authority of the Supreme Court must not be permitted to control the Congress or the Executive when acting in their legislative capacities, but to have only such influence as the force of their reasoning may deserve.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Supreme Court should not dominate the legislative actions of Congress or the Executive, but rather influence them through sound reasoning.
In this quote, Andrew Jackson emphasizes the importance of the separation of powers in the U.S. government. He argues that while the Supreme Court has a vital role in interpreting the law, it should not hold undue power over the legislative and executive branches, which are intended to operate independently based on the will of the people and their elected representatives. Instead, the Court's influence should come from the strength of its arguments and legal reasoning, rather than authoritative control.
Themes
Supreme CourtCongressExecutiveAuthorityIndependenceReasoning
In practice
Example use cases
During a public debate on government powers, you might use this quote to highlight the importance of checks and balances.
More from Andrew Jackson
All quotes →The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer...form the great body of the people of the United States they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.
Andrew JacksonRead
There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.
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The great constitutional corrective in the hands of the people against usurpation of power, or corruption by their agents is the right of suffrage; and this when used with calmness and deliberation will prove strong enough.
Andrew JacksonRead
I feel in the depths of my soul that it is the highest, most sacred, and most irreversible part of my obligation to preserve the union of these states, although it may cost me my life.
Andrew JacksonRead
When death comes, he respects neither age nor merit. He sweeps from the earthly existence the sick and the strong, the rich and the poor, and should teach us to live to be prepared for death.
Andrew JacksonRead
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