Neither Pagan nor Mahamedan nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion. -quoting John Locke's argument.
Interpretation
This quote advocates for religious tolerance and equal civil rights regardless of one's faith.
Thomas Jefferson, quoting John Locke, emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and equality in society by arguing that individuals should not be denied civil rights based on their religious beliefs. This reflects Enlightenment ideals of individual freedom and the separation of church and state, suggesting that a just society should protect the rights of all, irrespective of their faith.
In practice
During a speech on civil rights, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of protecting the rights of all citizens.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
In my stillness I am the eternal possibility. In my movement I am the cosmos.
The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are.
Without dignity, identity is erased.
For a year after that was done to me I wept every day at the same hour and for the same space of time. That is not such a tragic thing as possibly it sounds to you. To those who are in prison tears are a part of every day's experience. A day in prison on which one does not weep is a day on which one's heart is hard, not a day on which one's heart is happy.
Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped.
I have seen so many extraordinary things, nothing seems extraordinary any more
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