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.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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
Similar quotes
Safe from temptation, safe from sin's pollution, She lives whom we call dead.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Sometimes thinking back on things is a mistake arising out of pride, but I guess you live inside a moment for years, move with it and feel it grow, and it sends out roots until it touches everything in sight.
Colum MccannRead
To the European, it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.' Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy, last but not least, through actualizing the potential meaning inherent and dormant in a given situation.
Viktor E. FranklRead
Too many people take New York for granted. The primary reason is that history is not taught. That's outrageous in a city where the past is still visible.
Pete HamillRead
International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his protection money. You have to have obedience; otherwise, the idea can spread that you don't have to listen to the orders, and it can spread to important places.
Noam ChomskyRead
I find it most true that the greatest temptation outside of hell is to live without temptations; if water stands, it rots; faith is the better for the sharp winter storm in its face and grace withers without adversity. The devil is but God's master fencer to teach us to handle our weapons.
Samuel RutherfordRead