If the provisions of the Constitution be not upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort, they may as well be abandoned.
George SutherlandRead
For the saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished freedom is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while there was still time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the consequences of inaction regarding the preservation of freedom, suggesting that it is lost when those who possess it do not take action to protect it.
George Sutherland's quote serves as a poignant reminder that freedom is fragile and requires active participation to be maintained. When people take their freedom for granted and fail to respond to threats or challenges, they risk losing it entirely. This highlights the importance of vigilance and proactive engagement in the face of encroaching limitations on liberty.
Themes
FreedomInactionResponsibilityVigilanceLoss
In practice
Example use cases
A call to action in a speech about civic duty and the importance of defending civil liberties.
More from George Sutherland
All quotes →Similar quotes
If our life lacks a constant magic it is because we choose to observe our acts and lose ourselves in consideration of their imagined form and meaning, instead of being impelled by their force.
Antonin ArtaudRead
I believe all Americans are born with certain inalienable rights. As a child of God, I believe my rights are not derived from the constitution. My rights are not derived from any government. My rights are not denied by any majority. My rights are because I exist. They were given to me and each of my fellow citizens by our creator, and they represent the essence of human dignity.
Joe BidenRead
A warrior must cultivate the feeling that he has everything needed for the extravagant journey that is his life. What counts for a warrior is being alive. Life in itself is sufficient, self-explanatory and complete. Therefore, one may say without being presumptuous that the experience of experiences is being alive.
Carlos CastanedaRead
And there lies the horror: the past we remember is devoid of time. Impossible to reexperience a love the way we reread a book or resee a film.
Milan KunderaRead
Superstition is the poetry of life.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
Mr. Brown had thought of nothing but numbers. He should have known that the kingdom of God did not depend on large crowds. Our Lord Himself stressed the importance of fewness. Narrow is the way and few the number. To fill the Lord's holy temple with an idolatrous crowd clamoring for signs was a folly of everlasting consequence. Our Lord used the whip only once in His life - to drive the crowd away from His church.
Chinua AchebeRead