Football strategy does not originate in a scrimmage: it is useless to expect solutions in a political campaign.
Walter LippmannRead
Liberty without discipline cannot survive. Without order and authority in the spirit of man the free way of life leads through weakness, disorganization, self-indulgence, and moral indifference to the destruction of freedom itself. The tragic ordeal through which the Western world is passing was prepared in the long period of easy liberty during which men forgot the elementary truths of human existence. They forgot that their freedom was achieved by heroic sacrifice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True freedom requires responsibility and discipline; without these, liberty can lead to chaos and moral decay.
Walter Lippmann emphasizes that liberty must be coupled with discipline and moral order to thrive. He warns that a society that takes freedom for granted, without recognizing the sacrifices made for it, risks falling into disorder and losing its essence. The freedoms enjoyed can lead to weakness and irresponsibility if not grounded in ethical principles and authority, which ultimately may endanger the very fabric of freedom.
Themes
LibertyDisciplineFreedomResponsibilityOrderSacrifice
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civic responsibility, this quote could be used to highlight the importance of maintaining order in a free society.
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There is nothing so bad but it can masquerade as moral.
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The tendency of the casual mind is to pick out or stumble upon a sample which supports or defies its prejudices, and then to make it the representative of a whole class.
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The private citizen, beset by partisan appeals for the loan of his Public Opinion, will soon see, perhaps, that these appeals are not a compliment to his intelligence, but an imposition on his good nature and an insult to his sense of evidence.
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