I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell LowellRead
Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.
Interpretation
Puritanism unknowingly contributed to democracy by fostering religious liberty.
James Russell Lowell's quote highlights the paradox of Puritanism; while it was focused on strict religious beliefs, it laid the groundwork for the democratic principles of individual freedom and liberty. The quote suggests that the values stemming from Puritanism, aimed at seeking personal religious expression, inadvertently cultivated an environment that would nourish democratic ideals, allowing for greater personal and civic freedoms in society.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of individual freedoms, one might refer to this quote to emphasize the historical roots of democracy.
I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
Good luck is the willing handmaid of upright, energetic character, and conscientious observance of duty.
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
Old events have modern meanings; only that survives of past history which finds kindred in all hearts and lives.
I have long believed that there are fundamentally two forces or emotions that drive our decisions - love and fear. Love has its many manifestations: compassion, gratitude, kindness, and joy. Fear often manifests in cynicism, anger, jealousy, and anxiety. I worry that many of our communities are being driven by fear.
When I circled the moon and looked back at Earth, my outlook on life and my viewpoint of Earth changed... Earth is a spaceship, just like Apollo - and just like Apollo, the crew must learn to live and work together. We must learn to manage the resources of this world with new imagination.
A city is the place of availabilities. It is the place where a small boy, as he walks through it, may see something that will tell him what he wants to do his whole life.
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.
Every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this “something” cannot be seen or heard or numbered or scientifically detected or counted. It’s what we leave in the minds of other people and what they leave in ours. Memory. The census doesn’t count it. Nothing counts without it.
There's no evidence whatsoever that men are more rational than women. Both sexes seem to be equally irrational.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.