Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.
Woodrow WilsonRead
...it would be a mistake...to ascribe to Roman legal conceptions an undivided sway over the development of law and institutions during the Middle Ages... The Laws of Moses as well as the laws of Rome contributed suggestions and impulse to the men and institutions which were to prepare the modern world; and if we could have but eyes to see... we should readily discover how very much besides religion we owe to the Jew.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The development of law and institutions in the Middle Ages cannot be solely attributed to Roman laws, as other influences, especially from Jewish traditions, played a crucial role.
Woodrow Wilson asserts that the evolution of legal systems and societal structures during the Middle Ages was not exclusively dominated by Roman legal traditions. He emphasizes the importance of diverse influences, particularly highlighting the contributions of Jewish law and thought, which have significantly shaped the modern world. This quote serves as a reminder of the multicultural foundations of legal and institutional development.
Themes
LawInstitutionsMedievalJewRomansDiversity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the roots of modern legal systems, this quote emphasizes the multifaceted contributions to law.
More from Woodrow Wilson
All quotes →Since trade ignores national boundaries and the manufacturer insists on having the world as a market, the flag of his nation must follow him, and the doors of the nations which are closed against him must be battered down. Concessions obtained by financiers must be safeguarded by ministers of state, even if the sovereignty of unwilling nations be outraged in the process. Colonies must be obtained or planted, in order that no useful corner of the world may be overlooked or left unused.
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The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the processes of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.
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We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.
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The way to stop financial joyriding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile.
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Once lead this people into war, and they'll forget there ever was such a thing as tolerance. To fight, you must be brutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutality will enter into the very fiber of our national life, infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on the beat, the man in the street.
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