Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
Thurgood MarshallRead
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
Interpretation
Speak out against injustice to uphold democracy and societal values.
Thurgood Marshall's quote emphasizes the importance of taking action when you witness wrongdoing, inequality, or injustice. It calls for individuals to actively engage in the democratic process, protect their rights and freedoms, and ensure that these principles are preserved for future generations.
In practice
During a community meeting, one might quote this to encourage residents to voice concerns about local issues.
Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting into the pot or he got melted down.
I cannot accept this invitation [to celebrate the bicentenial of the Constitution], for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever 'fixed' at the Philadelphia Convention... To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. [Progressive]
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
To a contrarian like me, constant advice not to do something almost always starts me quickly down the risky, unpopular path.
In my country of South Africa, we struggled for years against the evil system of apartheid that divided human beings, children of the same God, by racial classification and then denied many of them fundamental human rights.
My dear Excellency! I have not gone to war to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose.
Many young people, many children, are being abused, being put down, being bullied because of their sexual orientation.
I think life is always dangerous. Some people get afraid of it. Some people don't go forward. But some people, if they want to achieve their goal, they have to go. They have to move... We have seen the barbaric situation of the 21st century in Swat. So why should I be afraid now?
I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for.
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