Tis not, 'my country right or wrong'; tis, 'my country, that which is right to be kept right, that which is wrong to be set right'
Carl SchurzRead
My country right or wrong; when right, to keep her right; when wrong, to put her right.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the duty to support one's country both when it is right and wrong.
Carl Schurz's quote reflects a deep commitment to patriotism that acknowledges both the love and the critical responsibility a citizen has towards their nation. It articulates that true loyalty involves not just blind support but actively striving to maintain a country’s integrity when it is correct and working to correct its wrongdoings when necessary.
In practice
During a national debate, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of holding our leaders accountable.
But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
We know that the wildest and most moving dramas are played not in the theatre but in the hearts of ordinary men and women.
.. that which renders morality an active principle and constitutes virtue our happiness, and vice our misery: it is probable, I say, that this final sentence depends on some internal sense or feeling, which nature has made universal in the whole species.
Hegel seems to me to be always wanting to say that things which look different are really the same. Whereas my interest is in showing that things which look the same are really different. I was thinking of using as a motto for my book a quotation from King Lear: 'I’ll teach you differences'. ... 'You’d be surprised' wouldn’t be a bad motto either.
I don't care whether animals are capable of thinking; all I care about is that they are capable of suffering!
It is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering.
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