Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Norman CousinsRead
In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In a democracy, individuals have both power and the responsibility that comes with it.
This quote emphasizes the dual nature of democracy where, while individuals possess significant power in shaping governance and society, they are also accountable for the consequences of their actions and decisions. It suggests that true democracy is not merely about enjoying freedoms and rights but also about recognizing one's duty to contribute positively and responsibly to the collective welfare.
Themes
DemocracyResponsibilityPowerIndividualAccountability
In practice
Example use cases
During a civic education class discussing the role of citizens in a democracy.
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The will of the people, moreover, practically means the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people; the majority, or those who succeed in making themselves accepted as the majority; type people, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are as much needed against this as against any other abuse of power.
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Leaving out the gamblers, the burglars, and the plumbers, perhaps we do put our trust in God after a fashion. But, after all, it is an overstatement. If the cholera or black plague should come to these shores, perhaps the bulk of the nation would pray to be delivered from it, but the rest would put their trust in The Health Board.
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The soul is the perceiver and revealer of truth. We know truth when we see it, let skeptic and scoffer say what they choose. Foolish people ask you, when you have spoken what they do not wish to hear, 'How do you know it is truth, and not an error of your own?' We know truth when we see it, from opinion, as we know when we are awake that we are awake.
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I think that society has to be careful not to shift all of its resources to the elderly versus the young.
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Between two groups of people who want to make inconsistent kinds of worlds, I see no remedy but force.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
A Jew without Jews, without Judaism, without Zionism, without Jewishness, without a temple or an army or even a pistol, a Jew clearly without a home, just the object itself, like a glass or an apple.
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