The brave man, inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts her in the hour of danger.
Andrew JacksonRead
The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that the true power of the government belongs to the people, who exercise it through their chosen representatives.
Andrew Jackson's quote highlights the essential principle of democracy, asserting that the authority of the government stems from the will of the people. It underlines the idea that citizens are not just subjects of the government, but are in fact the ultimate source of power, delegating responsibility to elected officials who act on their behalf.
In practice
In a speech advocating for voter rights, one might say, 'Remember, the people are the government, and every vote counts in our shared sovereignty.'
The brave man, inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts her in the hour of danger.
The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer...form the great body of the people of the United States they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.
There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.
The great constitutional corrective in the hands of the people against usurpation of power, or corruption by their agents is the right of suffrage; and this when used with calmness and deliberation will prove strong enough.
I feel in the depths of my soul that it is the highest, most sacred, and most irreversible part of my obligation to preserve the union of these states, although it may cost me my life.
When death comes, he respects neither age nor merit. He sweeps from the earthly existence the sick and the strong, the rich and the poor, and should teach us to live to be prepared for death.
And now we're suffering the logical culmination of all this: the largest group of government-hati ng, racist, homophobic, misogynistic know-nothing, climate-change denying, evolution-denyi ng, science-denying , anti-immigrant House Republicans in history, bent on taking America back to the 19th century.
Neither democracy nor effective representation is possible until each participant in the group...devotes a measurable part of his life to furthering its existence.
Have you ever wondered why Republicans are so interested in encouraging people to volunteer in their communities? Itβs because volunteers work for no pay. Republicans have been trying to get people to work for no pay for a long time.
Attempts are being made to turn Pakistan into a security state. If they succeed they should better rename it 'ISIstan.'
You just don't, in the 21st century, behave in 19th-century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pre-text.
A little rebellion now and then... is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
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