The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.
TacitusRead
A young man should ask himself not if it is his duty to go to the heathen, but if he may dare stay at home. The command is so plain: “Go.”
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the moral obligation to help others rather than remaining comfortably at home.
Lottie Moon's quote challenges the young man to reconsider the notion of duty, suggesting that the real question lies not in whether he is obliged to reach out to those in need, but whether he has the courage to remain in a safe and comfortable position while opportunity for action exists. The command to 'Go' serves as a powerful reminder that true responsibility often calls us out of our comfort zones and into the service of others.
In practice
In a speech about social responsibility, one might use this quote to inspire action among young volunteers.
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.
Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.
Had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends...every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment.
Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don't ever apologize for anything.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
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