I believe that in every country the people themselves are more peaceably and liberally inclined than their governments.
Interpretation
People are generally more peaceful and open-minded than the governments that represent them.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's quote suggests that the common people of any nation are inherently more inclined towards peace and liberal values compared to the often restrictive and authoritarian nature of their governments. This highlights the potential disconnect between the population's desires and the actions of those in power, advocating for a view that emphasizes the goodwill of individuals over the decisions made by political leaders.
In practice
During a discussion on international relations, one might say this quote to highlight the gap between citizens and their governments.
There has been one persistent theme through all Axis propaganda. This theme has been that Americans are admittedly rich, that Americans have considerable industrial power - but that Americans are soft and decadent, that they cannot and will not unite and work and fight. ... Let them tell that to the Marines!
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
A world turned into a stereotype, a society converted into a regiment, a life translated into a routine, make it difficult for either art or artists to survive. Crush individuality in society and you crush art as well. Nourish the conditions of a free life and you nourish the arts, too.
I live on Earth at present, and I donβt know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing β a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process β an integral function of the universe.
We've had a debate about immigration in New Zealand for some time. Now what we're trying to champion in that conversation is a recognition that New Zealand has been built off immigration. I myself am a third-generation New Zealander.
One is always more vexed at losing a game of any sort by a single hole or ace, than if one has never had a chance of winning it.
I hope that at this moment you are thinking of yourself as a human being rather than as an American, Asian, European, African, or member of any particular country. These loyalties are secondary.
When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed.
I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.
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