Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
VoltaireRead
Beware of the words "internal security," for they are the eternal cry of the oppressor.
Interpretation
This quote warns against the manipulation of the concept of 'internal security' by those in power to justify oppression.
Voltaire's quote sheds light on the dangers of using the phrase 'internal security' as a tool by oppressive regimes to legitimize control and harm to individual freedoms. It suggests that when authorities prioritize so-called security over liberties, it often results in the infringement of personal rights and the erosion of democratic principles.
In practice
During a political rally, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of safeguarding civil liberties against authoritarian measures.
Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead.
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.
The fact that societies are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious is good. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness.
A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it.
One cannot prescribe to anyone whether he should follow an ethic of absolute ends or an ethic of responsibility.
In many Muslim countries, witchcraft is not only on the books as a crime, but is commonly prosecuted. In 2009, for example, Saudi Arabia convicted a man for carrying a phone booklet with characters in an alphabet from his native Eritrea, which the police interpreted as occult symbols. He was lashed three hundred times and imprisoned for more than three years.
It is likewise to be observed that this society hath a peculiar chant and jargon of their own, that no other mortal can understand, and wherein all their laws are written, which they take special care to multiply.
It was astonishing to see how angry Cersei could wax over accusations she knew perfectly well to be true.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.