Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.
Woodrow WilsonRead
Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that neutrality is not a proactive stance and that America should focus on building peace rather than avoiding conflict.
Woodrow Wilson's quote critiques the concept of neutrality by suggesting that it is insufficient for achieving meaningful progress. Instead of merely avoiding trouble, he advocates for a commitment to the values and foundations necessary for rebuilding peace, thereby implying that active engagement and responsibility are required to create a stable and harmonious world.
Themes
NeutralityPeaceEngagementAmericaResponsibilityFoundations
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on international relations, one might quote Wilson to emphasize the need for proactive peace-building.
More from Woodrow Wilson
All quotes →Since trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturer insists on having the world as a market, the flag of his nation must follow him, and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down. Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused.
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The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the processes of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.
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We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.
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The way to stop financial joyriding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile.
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Once lead this people into war, and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight, you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.
Woodrow WilsonRead
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