Liberty is not just an idea, an abstract principle. It is power, effective power to do specific things. There is no such thing as liberty in general; liberty, so to speak, at large.
Interpretation
Liberty is a practical force, not merely a theoretical concept; it must be understood in terms of its application.
John Dewey emphasizes that liberty is not merely an abstract idea, but a practical power that allows individuals to act and achieve specific outcomes. By stating that there is no such thing as liberty in general, he suggests that true freedom must be contextualized within concrete circumstances and the ability to effectuate change in the world.
In practice
In a speech on civil rights, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of practical freedom in achieving equality.
Every teacher should realize he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of the proper social order and the securing of the right social growth. In this way, the teacher always is the prophet of the true God and the usherer-in of the true Kingdom of God.
Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.
It science involves an intelligent and persistent endeavor to revise current beliefs so as to weed out what is erroneous, to add to their accuracy, and, above all, to give them such shape that the dependencies of the various facts upon one another may be as obvious as possible.
For in spite of itself any movement that thinks and acts in terms of an ‘ism becomes so involved in reaction against other ‘isms that it is unwittingly controlled by them. For it then forms its principles by reaction against them instead of by a comprehensive, constructive survey of actual needs, problems, and possibilities.
Any genuine teaching will result, if successful, in someone's knowing how to bring about a better condition of things than existed earlier.
The reactionaries are in possession of force, in not only the army and police, but in the press and the schools
Business underlies everything in our national life, including our spiritual life. Witness the fact that in the Lord's Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.
All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.
How wonderful it is to be an American. We have known the best of times and the worst of times.
We are, after all, only trustees of the wealth we possess. Without the community and its resources... there would be little wealth for anyone.
When I became a monk, it didn't feel like I was giving up that much. I actually felt like I had made the best decision, because anyone who hadn't focused on building themselves up was the one losing out.
What give all that is tragic, whatever its form, the characteristic of the sublime, is the first inkling of the knowledge that the world and life can give no satisfaction, and are not worth our investment in them. The tragic spirit consists in this. Accordingly it leads to resignation.
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