The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence beyond the reach of government.
William O. DouglasRead
Man must be able to escape civilization if he is to survive. Some of his greatest needs are for refuges and retreats where he can recapture for a day or a week the primitive conditions of life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human beings require a connection to nature and simple living to thrive.
This quote emphasizes the importance of stepping away from the complexities of modern civilization to reconnect with our primal instincts and the natural world. It suggests that having places to retreat to, where life is simpler and more in tune with nature, is essential for our well-being and survival.
Themes
SurvivalNatureCivilizationRetreatPrimitiveWell-Being
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of nature therapy.
More from William O. Douglas
All quotes →One who comes to the Court must come to adore, not to protest. That's the new gloss on the First Amendment.
William O. DouglasRead
The great and invigorating influences in American life have been the unorthodox: the people who challenge an existing institution or way of life, or say and do things that make people think.
William O. DouglasRead
I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out the true from the false in theology, economics, or any other field.
William O. DouglasRead
Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
William O. DouglasRead
The truth is that a vast restructuring of our society is needed if remedies are to become available to the average person. Without that restructuring the good will that holds society together will be slowly dissipated... It is that sense of futility which permeates the present series of protests and dissents. Where there is a persistent sense of futility, there is violence; and that is where we are today.
William O. DouglasRead
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