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There is no week, nor day, nor hour, when tyranny may not enter upon this country, if the people lose their supreme confidence in themselves, and lose their roughness and spirit of defiance. Tyranny may always enter—there is no charm or bar against it.
Margaret Thatcher
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote stresses the importance of self-confidence and resilience in preventing tyranny.

In this quote, Margaret Thatcher warns that tyranny is always a possibility in a society, especially if its citizens lack confidence in themselves and become complacent. She emphasizes that a loss of spirit and defiance among the people can lead to the rise of oppressive forces, highlighting the ongoing need for vigilance and self-assuredness in the defense of freedom.

Themes

TyrannyConfidenceFreedomDefianceVigilance

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about democracy and civic engagement, one might reference this quote to inspire people to stand up for their rights.

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