Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.
Woodrow WilsonRead
The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the processes of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Liberty is maintained by limiting government's power rather than expanding it.
This quote by Woodrow Wilson highlights the fundamental relationship between liberty and governmental power. Wilson argues that throughout history, the preservation of individual freedoms has been achieved by imposing restrictions on governmental authority, suggesting that an unchecked concentration of power can lead to the erosion of those liberties. Hence, resisting the accumulation of governmental power is essential to safeguard human rights and freedoms, as this accumulation often leads to oppressive regimes and the eventual demise of personal liberties.
Themes
LibertyGovernmentPowerFreedomResistanceOppression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about human rights and the importance of democracy.
More from Woodrow Wilson
All quotes →Since trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturer insists on having the world as a market, the flag of his nation must follow him, and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down. Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused.
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We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.
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The way to stop financial joyriding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile.
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Once lead this people into war, and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight, you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.
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The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them.
Woodrow WilsonRead
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