If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
The hardest problems of all in law enforcement are those involving a conflict of law and local customs. History has recorded many occasions when the moral sense of a nation produced judicial decisions, such as the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which required difficult local adjustments.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Legal challenges often arise when local customs conflict with established laws, highlighting the moral dilemmas faced in justice.
This quote reflects on the complexities faced in law enforcement where established laws may conflict with local customs and social norms. Robert Kennedy emphasizes how historical judicial decisions, like the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, illustrate the moral courage required to confront and adjust to these conflicts for the sake of justice and equality.
Themes
LawCustomsJusticeMoralityCivil RightsConflict
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on social justice, one might use this quote to illustrate the ongoing challenges in reconciling local practices with national laws.
More from Robert Kennedy
All quotes →Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
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Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
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It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
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Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
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The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
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