A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the highest virtues of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means.
Interpretation
Strictly following laws is virtuous, but sometimes higher obligations surpass written laws.
In this quote, Thomas Jefferson argues that while adhering to the law is important for good citizenship, there are circumstances where higher duties, such as self-preservation and protecting one's country, take precedence. He highlights the danger of valuing the law above fundamental human rights and the greater good, suggesting that an excessive focus on legality can lead to the loss of essential freedoms and moral values.
In practice
During a debate on civil disobedience, this quote could emphasize the importance of prioritizing morality over strict legalism.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
We must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
Blasphemy is an epithet bestowed by superstition upon common sense.
Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won't make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa - and it's about getting a balance.
Civilization is a progress from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity toward a definite, coherent heterogeneity.
To know that nothing happens in God's world apart from God's will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.
We're all worth the same_x000D_ When we turn off the light.
But, all this while, I was giving myself very unnecessary alarm. Providence had mediated better things for me than I could possibly imagine for myself.
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