Football strategy does not originate in a scrimmage: it is useless to expect solutions in a political campaign.
Walter LippmannRead
To create a minimum standard of life below which no human being can fall is the most elementary duty of the democratic state.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A democratic state has a fundamental responsibility to ensure basic living standards for all its citizens.
Walter Lippmann's quote emphasizes the moral obligation of a democratic government to establish a baseline quality of life for its people. He argues that one of the primary functions of a democratic state is to prevent any individual from descending into severe poverty or deprivation, thereby reflecting the core values of equality and justice that underpin democratic governance.
Themes
DemocracyResponsibilityStandard Of LivingHuman RightsSocial Justice
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social safety nets during a city council meeting.
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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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