It is from weakness that people reach for dictators and concentrated government power. Only the strong can be free. And only the productive can be strong.
Wendell WillkieRead
Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone, whether they are rich or poor, whether they agree with us or not, no matter what their race or the color of their skin.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom requires inclusivity and acceptance towards all individuals, regardless of their differences.
Wendell Willkie's quote emphasizes that true freedom cannot be selectively granted. It calls for a collective responsibility to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their social status, beliefs, or background, is afforded the same liberties and rights. This notion challenges us to not only seek our own freedom but to advocate for the freedom of all individuals, thereby creating a more just and equitable society.
Themes
FreedomEqualityInclusivityRightsSocial Justice
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for civil rights.
More from Wendell Willkie
All quotes →Today it is becoming increasingly apparent to thoughtful Americans that we cannot fight the forces and ideas of imperialism abroad and maintain any form of imperialism at home. The war has done this to our thinking.
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No man has a right in America to treat any other man "tolerantly" for tolerance is the assumption of superiority. Our liberties are equal rights of every citizen.
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I believe the moral losses of expediency always far outweigh the temporary gains.
Wendell WillkieRead
To suppress minority thinking and minority expression would tend to freeze society and prevent progress. Now more than ever we must keep in the forefront of our minds the fact that whenever we take away the liberties of those we hate, we are opening the way to loss of liberty for those we love.
Wendell WillkieRead
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