Establish the eternal truth that acquiescence under insult is not the way to escape war.
Interpretation
Ignoring insults does not prevent conflict; active resistance is necessary for peace.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson emphasizes that simply accepting insults or injustices will not lead to a resolution of conflict or war. Instead, one must stand up against such wrongs to prevent larger conflicts from arising. It suggests the importance of asserting oneself and addressing issues directly rather than hoping that silence or submission will lead to peace.
In practice
This quote can be referenced in a speech about the importance of standing up against bullying.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
I am slow to learn and slow to forget that which I have learned. My mind is like a piece of steel, very hard to scratch any thing on it and almost impossible after you get it there to rub it out.
Try viewing everyone who comes into your life as a teacher.
Putting is like wisdom - partly a natural gift and partly the accumulation of experience.
I teach people that no matter what the situation is, no matter how chaotic, no matter how much drama is around you, you can heal by your presence if you just stay within your center.
Things are sweeter when they're lost. I know--because once I wanted something and got it. It was the only thing I ever wanted badly, Dot, and when I got it it turned to dust in my hand.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? You only truly, deeply appreciate and are grateful for something when you compare and contrast it to something worse.
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