Civil government cannot let any group ride roughshod over others simply because their consciences tell them to do so.
Robert H. JacksonRead
It is not the function of government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Citizens should hold the government accountable to prevent errors, rather than relying on the government to protect them from mistakes.
This quote highlights the responsibility of citizens in a democracy to actively monitor and challenge their government, rather than expecting the government to safeguard them from missteps. It emphasizes the importance of civic engagement and accountability in maintaining a healthy political system.
Themes
CitizenGovernmentAccountabilityDemocracyEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about civic responsibility during a town hall meeting.
More from Robert H. Jackson
All quotes βWhile the Nation has forbidden monopoly by one set of laws it has been creating them by another. Patent laws, valuable as they may be in some respects, often father monopoly.
Robert H. JacksonRead
Freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.
Robert H. JacksonRead
To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds.
Robert H. JacksonRead
In our country are evangelists and zealots of many different political, economic and religious persuasions whose fanatical conviction is that all thought is divinely classified into two kinds - that which is their own and that which is false and dangerous.
Robert H. JacksonRead
We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war, but that they started it. And we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a trial of the causes of the war, for our position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy.
Robert H. JacksonRead
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