The whole fabric of southern society must be changed, and never can it be done if this opportunity is lost. Without this, this government can never be, as it never has been, a true republic.
Interpretation
Societal change is crucial for true democracy, and seizing opportunities is essential to achieving it.
Thaddeus Stevens emphasizes the necessity of transforming the societal structures of the South to establish a genuine republic. He argues that failing to act in the face of opportunity will prevent meaningful progress and undermine the democratic principles upon which the government is supposed to stand.
In practice
This quote can inspire activists during a rally advocating for social justice.
I can never acknowledge the right of slavery. I will bow down to no deity however worshipped by professing Christians - however dignified by the name of the Goddess of Liberty, whose footstool is the crushed necks of the groaning millions, and who rejoices in the resoundings of the tyrant's lash, and the cries of his tortured victims.
I answer, because I live among men and not among angels.
No government can be free that does not allow all its citizens to participate in the formation and execution of her laws.
The freedom of a government does not depend on the quality of its laws, but upon the power that has the right to create them.
But fighting to give women and girls a fighting chance isn’t a nice thing to-do. It isn’t some luxury that we get to when we have time on our hands to spend. This is a core imperative for every human being in every society. If we do not continue the campaign for women’s rights and opportunities, the world we want to live, the country we all love and cherish, will not be what it should be.
The dynamic of revolutionary events is directly determined by swift, intense, and passionate changes in the psychology of classes which have already formed themselves before the revolution.
Ojibwe prophecy speaks of a time during the seventh fire when our people will have a choice between two paths. The first path is well-worn and scorched. The second path is new and green. It is our choice as communities and as individuals how we will proceed.
Homo sapiens, you and me, we are basically the same as people 10,000 years ago. The next revolution will change that.
Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, "What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?" We have to hear that question from them, now.
When I was 5, some financial things happened, and I moved seven times in a year. We moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My mom would always say, 'Don't get comfortable, because we may not be here long.'
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