They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.
Calvin CoolidgeRead
It is not in violence and crime that our greatest danger lies. These evils are so perfectly apparent that they very quickly arouse the moral power of the people for their suppression. A far more serious danger lurks in the shirking of those responsibilities of citizenship, where the evil may not be so noticeable but is more insidious and likely to be more devastating.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our biggest threat comes not from overt violence, but from neglecting our civic duties.
Calvin Coolidge's quote emphasizes that while violence and crime are visible dangers that provoke immediate responses from society, a more insidious threat lies in the apathy towards civic responsibilities. This neglect can lead to far-reaching consequences that are not immediately obvious but can be detrimental to the fabric of society, calling for greater awareness and active participation in civic duties.
Themes
CitizenshipResponsibilityApathyCivic DutyDanger
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of civic engagement in a community.
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No method of procedure has ever been devised by which liberty could be divorced from local self-government. No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline.
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Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether his Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat.
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The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.
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