Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Norman CousinsRead
In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In a democracy, individuals have both power and the responsibility that comes with it.
This quote emphasizes the dual nature of democracy where, while individuals possess significant power in shaping governance and society, they are also accountable for the consequences of their actions and decisions. It suggests that true democracy is not merely about enjoying freedoms and rights but also about recognizing one's duty to contribute positively and responsibly to the collective welfare.
Themes
DemocracyResponsibilityPowerIndividualAccountability
In practice
Example use cases
During a civic education class discussing the role of citizens in a democracy.
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People are never more insecure than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams.
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Reverence for life is more than solicitude or sensitivity for life. It is a sense of the whole, a capacity for inspired response, a respect for the intricate universe of individual life. It is the supreme awareness of awareness itself.
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In the dark colony of night, when I consider man's magnificent capacity for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness, and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps, I seem to hear the muffled cries of all the words in all the books with covers closed.
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