I pledge you, pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people. Let us all here assembled constitute ourselves prophets of a new order of competence and of courage. This is more than a political campaign; it is a call to arms. Give me your help, not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people.
Interpretation
Roosevelt's quote emphasizes a commitment to transforming America through a collective effort for a better future.
In this quote, Franklin D. Roosevelt expresses his dedication to instituting a 'New Deal' for the American populace, highlighting the importance of unity and shared purpose in overcoming challenges. He positions this movement beyond mere political strategy, framing it as a vital mission to empower the people and restore the nation's values and integrity. By invoking the notion of a 'call to arms,' he calls for active participation from citizens, emphasizing that true change requires collective courage and competence.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about community service initiatives.
There has been one persistent theme through all Axis propaganda. This theme has been that Americans are admittedly rich, that Americans have considerable industrial power - but that Americans are soft and decadent, that they cannot and will not unite and work and fight. ... Let them tell that to the Marines!
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
A world turned into a stereotype, a society converted into a regiment, a life translated into a routine, make it difficult for either art or artists to survive. Crush individuality in society and you crush art as well. Nourish the conditions of a free life and you nourish the arts, too.
I think the deepest level of our freedom is being able to change our identity.
This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.
Passive fatalism can never be the role of a revolutionary party, like the Social Democracy.
My neighborhood didn't really encourage women, though it didn't prevent women from progressing, either.
As soon as something happens to us in America, everyone begins talking about healing. But before you heal, you have to mourn.
Who would have thought that the girl who was forced to go to the hospital because she's so skinny would one day be called too fat?
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