--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken…" description: "\"Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken security of constitutional freedom. Give me the right to be tried by a jury of my own neighbors, and to be taxed ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/alexander-hamilton-619_court_give-me-the-steady-uniform-unshaken-secu_1480375.jpg" --- # Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken security of… ![“Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken security of constitutional freedom. Give me the right to be tried by a jury of my own neighbors, and to be taxed by my own representatives only. What will become of the law and courts of justice without this? The shadow may remain, but the substance will be…” quote by Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/alexander-hamilton-619_court_give-me-the-steady-uniform-unshaken-secu_1480375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/alexander-hamilton-619_court_give-me-the-steady-uniform-unshaken-secu_1480375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/alexander-hamilton-619_court_give-me-the-steady-uniform-unshaken-secu_1480375.jpg) > “Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken security of constitutional freedom. Give me the right to be tried by a jury of my own neighbors, and to be taxed by my own representatives only. What will become of the law and courts of justice without this? The shadow may remain, but the substance will be gone. I would die to preserve the law upon a solid foundation; but take away liberty, and the foundation is destroyed.” [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom and local governance are essential to a just legal system; without them, law loses substance. **In simple terms:** Local control preserves law’s integrity. Key Takeaway Protect community rights to sustain justice. Themes law freedom democracy citizen rights Mood serious reflective Type political historical When to use this quote - jury trials - taxation - legislative reform - community advocacy Key Concepts constitutionalism rule of law localism Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure liberty without compromising security? - What mechanisms best protect local judicial authority? A Different Perspective Balancing liberty with security can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutional/) [Constitutional Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutional-freedom-946388/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-right/) [Give me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give-me/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Jury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jury/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Preserve Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserve-law-836022/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Security Constitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-constitutional-5393532/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Solid foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solid-foundation/) [Steady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steady/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Uniforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniforms/) ## Related quotes > [I would die to preserve the law upon a solid foundation; but take away liberty, and the foundation is destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/i-would-die-to-preserve-the-law-upon-a-solid-foundation-but-take-away/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Let it never be forgotten that it is not by means of war that states are rendered fit for the enjoyment of constitutional freedom;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/let-it-never-be-forgotten-that-it-is-not-by-means-of-war-that-states/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) > [The constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-constitutional-freedom-of-religion-is-the-most-inalienable-and/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A sacred respect for the constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/a-sacred-respect-for-the-constitutional-law-is-the-vital-principle/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The propriety of a law, in a constitutional light, must always be determined by the nature of the powers upon which it is founded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-propriety-of-a-law-in-a-constitutional-light-must-always-be/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [ It is by far the safer course to lay \[considerations of the future\] altogether aside; and to confine our attention wholly to the nature… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-by-far-the-safer-course-to-lay-considerations-of-the-future/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/freedom-is-the-right-to-question-and-change-the-established-way-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“What is freedom to that young man, who sits there, with his arms folded over his broad chest, the tint of African blood in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-freedom-to-that-young-man-who-sits-there-with-his-arms-folded/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/may-we-think-of-freedom-not-as-the-right-to-do-as-we-please-but-as/) [Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/) > [“Freedom is the right to difference; being plurality, it postulates the dispersion of the absolute, its resolution into a dust of truths, equally justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/freedom-is-the-right-to-difference-being-plurality-it-postulates-the/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/is-freedom-anything-else-than-the-right-to-live-as-we-wish-nothing/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [A slave has not the freedom even to do the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-slave-has-not-the-freedom-even-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Freedom is not the right to live as we please, but the right to find how we ought to live in order to fulfill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/freedom-is-not-the-right-to-live-as-we-please-but-the-right-to-find/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I will always vote on the side of freedom and our right to keep and bear arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-martinez/i-will-always-vote-on-the-side-of-freedom-and-our-right-to-keep-and/) [Mel Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-martinez/) > [If it is right for men to fight for their freedom, and God knows what the human race would be like today if men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/if-it-is-right-for-men-to-fight-for-their-freedom-and-god-knows-what/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) ## More by Alexander Hamilton > [“I am apprehensive, Sir, that in the warmth of my feelings, I may have uttered expressions, which were too vehement. If such has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/i-am-apprehensive-sir-that-in-the-warmth-of-my-feelings-i-may-have/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [“The truth unquestionably is, that the only path to a subversion of the republican system of the Country is, by flattering the prejudices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-truth-unquestionably-is-that-the-only-path-to-a-subversion-of-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [ \[W\]ar is a question, under our constitution, not of Executive, but of Legislative cognizance. It belongs to Congress to say whether the Nation shall… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/w-ar-is-a-question-under-our-constitution-not-of-executive-but-of/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-will-be-of-little-avail-to-the-people-that-the-laws-are-made-by/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Though a wide ocean separates the United States from Europe, yet there are various considerations that warn us against an excess of confidence or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/though-a-wide-ocean-separates-the-united-states-from-europe-yet-there/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-an-unquestionable-truth-that-the-body-of-the-people-in-every/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [There are still to be found visionary or designing men, who stand ready to advocate the paradox of perpetual peace between the states, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/there-are-still-to-be-found-visionary-or-designing-men-who-stand/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [ It is one thing to be subordinate to the laws, and another \[for the Executive\] to be dependent on the legislative body. The first… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-one-thing-to-be-subordinate-to-the-laws-and-another-for-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Man is very much a creature of habit. A thing that rarely strikes his senses will generally have but little influence upon his mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/man-is-very-much-a-creature-of-habit-a-thing-that-rarely-strikes-his/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Money is, with propriety, considered as the vital principle of the body politic; as that which sustains its life and motion, and enables it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/money-is-with-propriety-considered-as-the-vital-principle-of-the-body/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-nation-which-can-prefer-disgrace-to-danger-is-prepared-for-a/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [It is a well-known fact that in countries in which the national debt is properly funded, and an object of established confidence, it answers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-in-countries-in-which-the-national-debt/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [A government, the constitution of which renders it unfit to be trusted with all the powers which a free people ought to delegate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/a-government-the-constitution-of-which-renders-it-unfit-to-be-trusted/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The Liberty of the press consists in the right to publish with impunity truth with good motives for justifiable ends, though reflecting on government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-liberty-of-the-press-consists-in-the-right-to-publish-with/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/you-should-not-have-taken-advantage-of-my-sensibility-to-steal-into/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) [Explore all 443 Alexander Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) ## More Constitutional quotes > [I think that, as Americans, we should never forget that when we tamper with freedom of speech, it is a very sensitive issue that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/i-think-that-as-americans-we-should-never-forget-that-when-we-tamper/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Marriage and the creation of families has been an integral part of our society since its creation; it should not be defined without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-foster-bennett/marriage-and-the-creation-of-families-has-been-an-integral-part-of/) [Robert Foster Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-foster-bennett/) > ['Constitutional' is just a real pip of a word. Positively rolls off the tongue. In fact, it's downright fun to say. 'Con-stit-too-shun-al.' It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [No migrant of any religion has a constitutional right to come to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/no-migrant-of-any-religion-has-a-constitutional-right-to-come-to-the/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The current constitutional law places the president of the republic in an embarrassing situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-eduardo-dos-santos/the-current-constitutional-law-places-the-president-of-the-republic/) [Jose Eduardo Dos Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-eduardo-dos-santos/) > [The British monarchy has the political and constitutional task of subtracting from the government and governors of Britain the papal and kingly airs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-british-monarchy-has-the-political-and-constitutional-task-of/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [I want to err on the side of constitutional liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-johnson/i-want-to-err-on-the-side-of-constitutional-liberty-and-freedom/) [Ron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-johnson/) > [Most of us know nothing about constitutional law, so it's hardly surprising that we take sides in the Obamacare debate the way we root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/most-of-us-know-nothing-about-constitutional-law-so-it-s-hardly/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“Constitutional democracy can only survive if the people of our nation are moral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-r-cooke/constitutional-democracy-can-only-survive-if-the-people-of-our-nation/) [Ronald R. Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-r-cooke/) > [Let us face reality. The framers (of the Constitution) have simply been too shrewd for us. They have outwitted us. They designed separate institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/let-us-face-reality-the-framers-of-the-constitution-have-simply-been/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [If nothing else came out of all of this debacle over Obamacare, one thing that should is a class-action lawsuit against the University of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/if-nothing-else-came-out-of-all-of-this-debacle-over-obamacare-one/) [Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/) > [“In framing that great document which Gladstone declared ‘the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/in-framing-that-great-document-which-gladstone-declared-the-most/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Without question, the court does play a vital role in our constitutional system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-dewine/without-question-the-court-does-play-a-vital-role-in-our/) [Mike DeWine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-dewine/) > [There simply aren't enough constitutional safeguards in place to protect against a rogue president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-simply-aren-t-enough-constitutional-safeguards-in-place-to/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Browse all 291 Constitutional quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutional/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Give me the steady, uniform, unshaken security of constitutional freedom. 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