Honor, justice and humanity call upon us to hold and to…
“Honor, justice and humanity call upon us to hold and to transmit to our posterity, that liberty, which we received from our ancestors. It is not our duty to leave wealth to our children; but it is our duty to leave liberty to them. No infamy, iniquity, or cruelty can exceed our own if we, born and educated in a country of freedom, entitled to its blessings and knowing their value, pusillanimously deserting the post assigned us by Divine Providence, surrender succeeding generations to a condition of wretchedness from which no human efforts, in all probability, will be sufficient to extricate them; the experience of all states mournfully demonstrating to us that when arbitrary power has been established over them, even the wisest and bravest nations that ever flourished have, in a few years, degenerated into abject and wretched vassals.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Liberty must be preserved and passed to future generations, not material wealth; neglect leads to oppression and decline.
In simple terms: Pass on freedom, not riches.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize liberty over wealth.
Themes
freedom
responsibility
heritage
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- education
- policy making
- family planning
- national governance
Key Concepts
civic duty
intergenerational ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we teach liberty to youth?
- What responsibilities accompany freedom?
A Different Perspective
Wealth alone cannot sustain a free society.