No government can be strong and flourishing while the national character is weak and degraded. A government must flourish and decay with its subjects; and, when a prince makes a law or performs an action which has a tendency to injure the character or prosperity of the nation, he injures himself.
Interpretation
A government's strength is tied to the character of its people, and harming that character ultimately harms the government itself.
The quote emphasizes the intrinsic connection between a government and the character of its citizens. It suggests that for a government to thrive, the moral and ethical standards of its populace must be strong. When leaders enact laws or take actions that detract from the national character, they not only jeopardize the wellbeing of their citizens but also threaten their own power and stability. Thus, a government is only as strong as the people it governs, highlighting the need for leaders to foster an environment that promotes virtue and strength among their subjects.
In practice
In a political speech discussing the importance of national integrity.
There are many causes why a people politically ignorant cannot be roused to action. Perfect political ignorance must be accompanied by indifference to the general interests of society, and thus one of the most powerful motives which can act on the human mind is totally destroyed.
Whatever may be the merits of a religious system, its effects upon the mass of mankind must depend in an important degree upon its teachers. All instruction and all truth, except simple mathematical truth, is modified by the medium through which it is conveyed.
I think it's about time! Who cares whether he is looking for votes or not! At least your country is moving forward with the times!
The misconception that aid falls straight into the hands of dictators largely stems from the Cold War era.
Our aims in political activism are not, and should not be, to create a perfect utopia. What we seek is more simply to improve the quality of human life while at the same time respecting the natural environment which sustains it: 'Not a heaven on earth but a better earth on earth.' This is not at all a timid agenda, far from it. The work ahead of us is enormous!
I believe that Brazil was prepared to elect a woman. Why? Because Brazilian women achieved that. I didn't come here by myself, by my own merits. We are a majority here in this country.
Remember that a civilized nation cannot just have one party; if there were only one party, this would merely be a dictatorship. Politics could not advance.
It is an axiom of political science in the United States that the sole means of neutralizing the effects of newspapers is to multiply their number.
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