The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
It usually takes a hundred years to make a law, and then, after it has done its work; it usually takes a hundred years to get rid of it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the lengthy process of creating and abolishing laws, highlighting the enduring impact of legislation.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote emphasizes the often slow and cumbersome nature of the legislative process, suggesting that laws tend to remain in effect for a long time, even after their original purpose has been fulfilled. It implies a caution about the permanence of legal frameworks and how difficult it can be to reverse decisions made by previous generations, prompting an awareness of the long-term effects of legislation on society.
Themes
LawLegislationChangeSocietyHistory
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the evolution of civil rights, one might quote this to illustrate the long journey of legislative change.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes βA man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
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No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
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We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
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No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
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There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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