We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection
Samuel AdamsRead
It is no dishonor to be in a minority in the cause of liberty and virtue
Interpretation
Supporting liberty and virtue may put you in the minority, but it is a noble stance.
Samuel Adams emphasizes that having a minority opinion in favor of liberty and virtue is not something to be ashamed of; rather, it is commendable to stand for these principles, even if they are not widely accepted. This quote underlines the importance of individual conviction and moral integrity in the pursuit of freedom.
In practice
During a rally for civil rights, one could quote this to inspire others to stand firm in their beliefs.
We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection
Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters.
If taxes are laid upon us in any shape without our having a legal representation where they are laid, are we not reduced from the character of free subjects to the miserable state of tributary slaves? We claim British rights not by charter only! We are born to them.
Let no man thirst for good beer.
He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.
We boast of our freedom, and we have your example for it. We talk the language we have always heard you speak.
You work your butt off and somebody says you can't have your record played because it offends them. Tyrants are made of such stuff.
The thing that we need in the world today, is a group of men and women who will stand up for right and be opposed to wrong, wherever it is. A group of people who have come to see that some things are wrong, whether theyβre never caught up with. Some things are right, whether nobody sees you doing them or not.
A warrior accepts defeat. He does not treat it as a matter of indifference nor does he try to make a victory of it.
When we advocate for violence against women to be eliminated on campuses, we say, 'Well, actually, it's not just on campuses we have to worry about.' We might have to worry about high schools. We might have to worry about police precincts and cars. We might have to worry about public housing.
The persecution of Jews in occupied Poland meant that we could see horror emerging gradually in many ways. In 1939, they were forced to wear Jewish stars, and people were herded and shut up into ghettos. Then, in the years '41 and '42 there was plenty of public evidence of pure sadism. With people behaving like pigs, I felt the Jews were being destroyed. I had to help them. There was no choice.
It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice.
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