The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
Any law that takes hold of a mans daily life cannot prevail in a community, unless the vast majority of the community are actively in favor of it. The laws that are the most operative are the laws which protect life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A law can only succeed if the majority of the people support it, especially those that are meant to protect life.
This quote by Henry Ward Beecher emphasizes the importance of community support for laws that govern daily life. It suggests that laws lose their effectiveness if they are not backed by the majority. Moreover, it highlights that laws which aim to protect life are the most vital, as they resonate deeply with the values and beliefs of the community.
Themes
LawCommunitySupportLifeMajority
In practice
Example use cases
During a town hall meeting discussing new regulations, one might quote this to emphasize the need for community agreement.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes →A man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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