A good government may, indeed, redress the grievances of an injured people; but a strong people can alone build up a great nation.
Interpretation
Strong citizens are essential for building a prosperous nation, even if a good government can address their grievances.
This quote emphasizes the importance of civic strength and responsibility in nation-building. While a good government plays a critical role in addressing the needs and grievances of its citizens, it is ultimately the strength, resilience, and participation of the people that enables the creation and maintenance of a great nation. The quote suggests that empowerment and active engagement of the populace are crucial for true progress and development.
In practice
During a speech about civic duty, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of citizen engagement.
I now bid farewell to the country of my birth - of my passions - of my death; a country whose misfortunes have invoked my sympathies - whose factions I sought to quell - whose intelligence I prompted to a lofty aim - whose freedom has been my fatal dream.
In 1984, George Orwell wrote of a world where the only colour to be found was in the propaganda posters. Such is the case in North Korea. Images of Kim Il-sung are depicted in vivid colours. Rays of yellow and orange emanate from his face: he is the sun.
Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together.
The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute themselves into a federation.
If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were, in effect, breaking into the home of every citizen.
Given political history in Chile, it seemed to me that there was a critical task of consolidating a democracy and creating healthy civic-military and political-military relationships.
In 2008, I spoke out against calling the president a Muslim as if that was a curse. And then in 2012, once again, I was very disturbed about some of the intolerance I was seeing in the party, so I made a statement saying there's a level of intolerance in some parts of the Republican Party. And there was, and I think there still is.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.