The balancing of the budget will not in itself place a teaspoonful of milk in a hungry baby's stomach, or remove the rags from its mother's back.
John L. LewisRead
The organized workers of America, free in their industrial life, conscious partners in production, secure in their homes and enjoying a decent standard of living, will prove the finest bulwark against the intrusion of alien doctrines of government.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of organized labor in maintaining freedom and protecting society from harmful ideologies.
John L. Lewis conveys that when American workers are organized, aware of their rights, financially secure, and content with their quality of life, they create a strong defense against foreign and oppressive political ideologies. He suggests that a well-supported workforce is essential for the health of democracy and societal stability.
Themes
Organized LaborWorkers RightsFreedomDemocracyStandard Of Living
In practice
Example use cases
A political speech advocating for workers' rights could use this quote to highlight the importance of union organizations.
More from John L. Lewis
All quotes →The labor movement is organized upon a principle that the strong shall help the weak.
John L. LewisRead
The workers of the nation were tired of waiting for corporate industry to right their economic wrongs, to alleviate their social agony and to grant them their political rights. Despairing of fair treatment, they resolved to do something for themselves.
John L. LewisRead
Courage is not how a man stands or falls, but how he gets back up again
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The union miner cannot agree to the acceptance of a wage principle which will permit his annual earnings and his living standards to be determined by the hungriest unfortunates whom the non-union operators can employ.
John L. LewisRead
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