QuoteProject
A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

A constitution has little value without the people's desire for liberty.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg emphasizes that a constitution, while vital for governance and rights, is rendered ineffective if the populace does not actively seek and prioritize their own liberty and freedom. This highlights the essential role of public will in upholding democratic values and ensuring that the principles enshrined in laws and constitutions are meaningful and impactful in society.

Themes

ConstitutionLibertyFreedomPublic WillDemocracy

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of civic engagement in democracy.

More from Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Not a law firm in the entire city of New York bid for my employment as a lawyer when I earned my degree.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
If you want to influence people, you want them to accept your suggestions, you don't say, 'You don't know how to use the English language,' or 'How could you make that argument?' It will be welcomed much more if you have a gentle touch than if you are aggressive.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
I try to teach through my opinions, through my speeches, how wrong it is to judge people on the basis of what they look like, color of their skin, whether they're men or women.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
The worst times were the years I was alone. The image to the public entering the courtroom was eight men, of a certain size, and then this little woman sitting to the side. That was not a good image for the public to see.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
My resume showed membership on both the Harvard and Columbia Law Reviews, a credit impressive abroad where it was not generally known that Law Reviews were student-operated publications.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
I certainly respect the belief of the Hobby Lobby owners. On the other hand, they have no constitutional right to foist that belief on the hundreds and hundreds of women who work for them who don't share that belief.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead

Similar quotes

Minorities within nation-states frayed by global capitalism are naturally more resentful of hollowed-out but still heavily centralised systems of political and economic domination.
Pankaj MishraRead
The powers know that the people at large are like children whose despair, sorrow, and tears can be turned into joy with a little toy. ... An army and navy represents the people's toys.
Emma GoldmanRead
The world will not accept dictatorship or domination.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
And I'm not apolitical - I'm very specific in my politics. But a lot of the time it's nobody's business unless you're over at my house having dinner.
Tom HanksRead
Syria should not belong to one family, to one coterie, or to one party. It belongs to all the people of Syria equally, in all their religious and ethnic diversity.
William HagueRead
You cannot have a government for and by the people if it is not represented by all of the people.
Ayanna PressleyRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.