The two greatest things that all men aim at in any free government are liberty and permanency. We have had liberty enough - too much perhaps in some respects - but at all events, liberty to our hearts content.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of liberty and stability in a free society.
In this quote, Thomas D highlights that individuals in a free government strive for two main objectives: liberty and stability. He suggests that while we may have enjoyed ample freedom, perhaps to an excessive degree, the essence of a successful government lies in balancing that freedom with a sense of permanence and security for its citizens.
In practice
In a speech about civil liberties, one might quote this to emphasize the need for balance in governance.
Although we give lip service to the notion of freedom, we know the government is no longer the servant of the people but, at last has become the people's master. We have stood by like timid sheep while the wolf killed - first the weak, then the strays, then those on the outer edges of the flock, until at last the entire flock belonged to the wolf.
Virtue does not come from wealth, but wealth, and every other good thing which men have comes from virtue.
Compassion doesn't, of course, mean feeling sorry for people, or pity, which is how the word has become emasculated in a way.
The other gods were strong; but thou wast weak; they rode, but thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but thou alone.
How do you judge the brightness of a light when you’re the source? A spotlight can never see the shadows it casts.
A people armed and free, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition and is a bulwark for the nation against foreign invasion and domestic oppression.
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