Justice, not expedience, must be the guiding light. The orator must fix his eye on the polestar of justice, and plough straight thither. The moment he glances toward expediency, he falls from his high estate.
John Peter AltgeldRead
You ask whether a woman should be paid the same wages as man when she does the same work? To this, there can be but one answer. If she does the same quantity and quality of work under the same conditions as a man, simple justice requires that she should be paid the same. wages. To deny her this is to deny her justice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Equal pay for equal work is a matter of fairness and justice.
In this quote, John Peter Altgeld emphasizes the fundamental principle of equality in the workplace, arguing that if a woman is performing the same job with the same level of competency and under identical conditions as her male counterparts, she deserves to receive equal wages. Denying her the same payment is not only unjust but also a violation of basic rights and fairness.
Themes
Equal PayJusticeWomen'S RightsWorkplace EqualityFairness
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about gender equality, this quote can be used to advocate for equal pay in the workplace.
More from John Peter Altgeld
All quotes →The doctrine that might makes right has covered the earth with misery. While it crushes the weak, it also destroys the strong. Every deceit, every cruelty, every wrong, reaches back sooner or later and crushes its author. Justice is moral health, bringing happiness, wrong is moral disease, bringing mortal death.
John Peter AltgeldRead
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