As so often before, liberty has been wounded in the house of its friends.
Interpretation
Liberty can be harmed by those who are supposed to protect it.
Otto Hermann Kahn's quote suggests that the greatest threats to liberty often come not from its outright enemies, but rather from those within its own ranks who fail to uphold and protect it. This serves as a reminder that vigilance and responsibility are necessary among advocates and guardians of freedom to ensure it is preserved and nurtured.
In practice
In a speech about civic duty, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of protecting freedom.
The deadliest foe of democracy is not autocracy but liberty frenzied. Liberty is not foolproof. For its beneficent working it demands self-restraint, a sane and clear recognition of the practical and attainable, and of the fact that there are laws of nature which are beyond our power to change.
It is very noble hypocrisy not to talk of one's self.
Go, speed the stars of Thought On to their shining goals; - The sower scatters broad his seed, The wheat thou strew'st be souls.
Western Christians have imagined that, at the end of the day, God is going to throw the present space-time universe into a trashcan and we'll be sitting on clouds playing harps. The ultimate future that we're promised is much more interesting than that. It's new heavens and a new Earth with new bodies to live in.
Rather than trying to put an end to Eminem or some other rapper, politicians should think about why they're rapping. It's easier to try to censor some kid who's swearing about poverty than it is to stop the poverty.
Prayer is an august avowal of ignorance.
Corporations arenβt people. People are people.
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