The first lesson in civics is that efficient government begins at home.
Charles Evans HughesRead
Our institutions were not devised to bring about uniformity of opinion; if they had we might well abandon hope. It is important to remember, as has well been said, 'the essential characteristic of true liberty is that under its shelter many different types of life and character and opinion and belief can develop unmolested and unobstructed.'
Interpretation
True liberty allows for diverse opinions and ways of life without interference.
In this quote, Charles Evans Hughes emphasizes the importance of diversity in thought and belief as a core element of true liberty. Rather than stifling differing opinions, institutions should allow individuals the freedom to express themselves and develop their unique perspectives, which is essential for a vibrant and functioning society.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of freedom of expression.
The first lesson in civics is that efficient government begins at home.
Dissents are appeals to the brooding spirit of the law, to the intelligence of another day.
While democracy must have its organizations and controls, its vital breath is individual liberty.
The peril of this Nation is not in any foreign foe! We, the people, are its power, its peril, and its hope.
Every young man should aim at independence and should prepare himself for a vocation; above all, he should so manage his life that the steps of his progress are taken without improper aids; that he calls no one master, that he does not win or deserve the reputation of being a tool of others, and that if called to public service he may assume its duties with the satisfaction of knowing that he is free to rise to the height of his opportunity.
It is the essence of the institutions of liberty that it be recognized that guilt is personal and cannot be attributed to the holding of opinions or to mere intent in the absence of overt acts.
Talking to Yogi Berra about baseball is like talking to Homer about the Gods.
EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time.
And each day brings it's pretty dust, Our soon-choked souls to fll And we forget because we must, And not because we will.
Hypocrisy is an homage that vice renders to virtue.
I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret chamber one has some day to cry aloud on the house-tops.
In the end, there is no absence of irony: the integrity of what is sacred to Native Americans will be determined by the government that has been responsible for doing everything in its power to destroy Native American cultures.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.