The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence beyond the reach of government.
William O. DouglasRead
A people who extend civil liberties only to preferred groups start down the path either to dictatorship of the right or the left.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Excluding certain groups from civil liberties can lead to authoritarianism.
William O. Douglas warns that when a society selectively grants civil liberties only to certain favored groups, it risks paving the way to a dictatorship, whether it stems from authoritarianism on the political right or left. This quote emphasizes the importance of universal civil rights as a safeguard against tyranny, suggesting that all individuals must be granted equal rights to maintain a free and just society.
Themes
Civil LibertiesDictatorshipEqualityFreedomTyranny
In practice
Example use cases
During a civil rights rally, this quote could highlight the dangers of selective freedoms.
More from William O. Douglas
All quotes βOne who comes to the Court must come to adore, not to protest. That's the new gloss on the First Amendment.
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The great and invigorating influences in American life have been the unorthodox: the people who challenge an existing institution or way of life, or say and do things that make people think.
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I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out the true from the false in theology, economics, or any other field.
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Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
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The truth is that a vast restructuring of our society is needed if remedies are to become available to the average person. Without that restructuring the good will that holds society together will be slowly dissipated... It is that sense of futility which permeates the present series of protests and dissents. Where there is a persistent sense of futility, there is violence; and that is where we are today.
William O. DouglasRead
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