None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
But government in which the majority rule in all cases can not be based on justice, even as far as men understand it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Majority rule does not guarantee justice in governance.
Thoreau suggests that simply having a government where the majority rules does not automatically lead to fair or just outcomes. Justice is more complex than majority opinion, as it involves moral and ethical considerations that can't always be captured by what most people believe or want.
Themes
GovernmentMajorityJusticeEthicsMorality
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate about voting rights, this quote could be used to emphasize the need for justice over mere majority opinion.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes βThrough want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
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Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
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That grand old poem called Winter
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