The danger in our system is that the general government, which represents the interests of the whole, may encroach on the states, which represent the peculiar and local interests, or that the latter may encroach on the former.
John C. CalhounRead
It is harder to preserve than to obtain liberty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Preserving freedom is more challenging than the struggle to achieve it.
This quote emphasizes the idea that while the fight for liberty may be arduous and filled with challenges, the true test often lies in maintaining and protecting that liberty once it has been attained. It highlights the need for vigilance and commitment to safeguard freedoms against threats, both internal and external, that may arise over time.
Themes
LibertyPreservationFreedomChallengeVigilance
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, one might say, 'As John C. Calhoun noted, it is harder to preserve than to obtain liberty, reminding us of our duty to protect our freedoms.'
More from John C. Calhoun
All quotes βThere is a tendency in all parties, when they have been for a long time in possession of power, to augment it.
John C. CalhounRead
I hold that there is a mysterious connection between the fate of this country and that of Mexico; so much so that her independence and capability of sustaining herself are almost as essential to our prosperity and the maintenance of our institutions as they are to hers.
John C. CalhounRead
The error is in the assumption that the General Government is a party to the constitutional compact. The States ... formed the compact, acting as sovereign and independent communities.
John C. CalhounRead
There is not an example on record of any free state holding a province of the same extent and population without disastrous consequences. The nations conquered and held as a province have, in time, retaliated by destroying the liberty of their conquerors through the corrupting effect of extended patronage and irresponsible power.
John C. CalhounRead
Stripped of all its covering, the naked question is, whether ours is a federal or consolidated government; a constitutional or absolute one; a government resting solidly on the basis of the sovereignty of the States, or on the unrestrained will of a majority; a form of government, as in all other unlimited ones, in which injustice, violence, and force must ultimately prevail.
John C. CalhounRead
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