To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source of serious evils.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the severe consequences of slavery and cautions that the process of abolishing it must be handled with great care to avoid further problems.
Benjamin Franklin's quote highlights the profound moral degradation caused by slavery and emphasizes the complexity involved in its abolition. He warns that while ending slavery is a crucial and necessary endeavor, if not approached thoughtfully and with meticulous consideration, it could lead to new and significant issues, suggesting that liberation must be managed wisely to ensure true progress and reconciliation in society.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing the importance of freedom, one might quote Franklin to emphasize the responsibility that comes with liberating oppressed groups.
More from Benjamin Franklin
All quotes →He'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.
Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions, and spend one penny less than thy clear gains; then shall thy pocket begin to thrive; creditors will not insult, nor want oppress, nor hungerness bite, nor nakedness freeze thee
I think that a young state, like a young virgin, should modestly stay at home, and wait the application of suitors for an alliance with her; and not run about offering her amity to all the world; and hazarding their refusal. Our virgin is a jolly one; and tho at present not very rich, will in time be a great fortune, and where she has a favorable predisposition, it seems to me well worth cultivating.
Similar quotes
Modern totalitarianism can be defined as the establishment, by means of the state of exception, of a legal civil war that allows for the physical elimination not only of political adversaries but of entire categories of citizens who for some reason cannot be integrated into the political system
I remember thinking how easy it is to speak in clichés, to steal a line from pulp fiction and let it fall. We can only hover around the inexpressible with our words anyway, and there is comfort in saying what we have heard before.
In the late 1990s, some of the worst terrorist atrocities in the world were what the Turkish government itself called state terror, namely massive atrocities, 80 percent of the arms coming from the United States, millions of refugees, tens of thousands of people killed, hideous repression, that's international terror, and we can go on and on.
The Pacific no longer represents menacing avenues of approach for a prospective invader. It assumes, instead, the friendly aspect of a peaceful lake. Our line of defense is a natural one and can be maintained with a minimum of military effort and expense.
However much you knock at nature's door, she will never answer you in comprehensible words.
Why did people ask "What is it about?" as if a novel had to be about only one thing.