--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Persecution always says, 'I know the…" description: "\"Persecution always says, 'I know the consequences of your opinion better than you know them yourselves.' But the language of toleration was always amic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/charles-james-fox-24224_action_persecution-always-says-i-know-the-conse_420207.png" --- # Persecution always says, 'I know the consequences of your… ![“Persecution always says, 'I know the consequences of your opinion better than you know them yourselves.' But the language of toleration was always amicable, liberal, and just: it confessed its doubts, and acknowledged its ignorance ... Persecution had always reasoned from cause to effect, from…” quote by Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/charles-james-fox-24224_action_persecution-always-says-i-know-the-conse_420207.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/charles-james-fox-24224_action_persecution-always-says-i-know-the-conse_420207.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/charles-james-fox-24224_action_persecution-always-says-i-know-the-conse_420207.png) > “Persecution always says, 'I know the consequences of your opinion better than you know them yourselves.' But the language of toleration was always amicable, liberal, and just: it confessed its doubts, and acknowledged its ignorance ... Persecution had always reasoned from cause to effect, from opinion to action, \[that such an opinion would invariably lead to but one action\], which proved generally erroneous; while toleration led us invariably to form just conclusions, by judging from actions and not from opinions.” [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persecution relies on rigid cause‑effect reasoning, while toleration embraces doubt and seeks justice through actions. **In simple terms:** Persecution is dogmatic; toleration is open‑minded. Key Takeaway Practice tolerant, action‑based judgment. Themes politics justice persecution tolerance reasoning Mood thoughtful analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - legislative sessions - human rights advocacy - community decision‑making Key Concepts philosophy ethics critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance caution with openness? - What actions reveal true intentions? A Different Perspective Tolerance may be seen as weakness or indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Better than you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-than-you/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Persecution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-persecution-3727073/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Persecution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecution/) [Persecution Reasoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecution-reasoned-3727072/) [Persecution Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecution-says-3727074/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Toleration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toleration/) ## Related quotes > [“More doctors are being forced to close their practices or not to take insurance due to fear of persecution,” says Caryn Jaffe of Columbia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-weintraub/more-doctors-are-being-forced-to-close-their-practices-or-not-to-take/) [Pamela Weintraub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-weintraub/) > [“Religious toleration, to a certain extent, has been won, because people have ceased to consider religion so important as it was once thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/religious-toleration-to-a-certain-extent-has-been-won-because-people/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Toleration in religion was one of the great rights of man, and a man ought never to be deprived of what was his natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/toleration-in-religion-was-one-of-the-great-rights-of-man-and-a-man/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Opinions become dangerous to a state only when persecution makes it necessary for the people to communicate their ideas under the bond of secrecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/opinions-become-dangerous-to-a-state-only-when-persecution-makes-it/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Christians have oppressed Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Pagans, and each other throughout their centuries of power, preaching religious intolerance as the word of Jehovah whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bonewits/christians-have-oppressed-jews-moslems-buddhists-pagans-and-each/) [Isaac Bonewits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bonewits/) > [Whatever work you undertake, do it seriously, thoroughly and well; never leave it half-done or undone, never feel yourself satisfied unless and until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syama-prasad-mukherjee/whatever-work-you-undertake-do-it-seriously-thoroughly-and-well-never/) [Syama Prasad Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syama-prasad-mukherjee/) > [Now, if the principle of toleration were once admitted into classical education - if it were admitted that the great object is to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/now-if-the-principle-of-toleration-were-once-admitted-into-classical/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [The Church which taught men not to keep faith with heretics, had no claim to toleration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/the-church-which-taught-men-not-to-keep-faith-with-heretics-had-no/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [Real knowledge never promoted either turbulence or unbelief; but its progress is the forerunner of liberality and enlightened toleration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-brougham-1st-baron-brougham-and-vaux/real-knowledge-never-promoted-either-turbulence-or-unbelief-but-its/) [Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-brougham-1st-baron-brougham-and-vaux/) > [“The modern mind is merely a blank about the philosophy of toleration; and the average agnostic of recent times has really had no notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-modern-mind-is-merely-a-blank-about-the-philosophy-of-toleration/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Toleration means incomplete religious liberty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bagnell-bury/toleration-means-incomplete-religious-liberty/) [John Bagnell Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bagnell-bury/) > [Tolerance obviously does not disturb the distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/tolerance-obviously-does-not-disturb-the-distinction-between-right/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It is the darling delusion of mankind that the world is progressive in religion, toleration, freedom, as it is progressive in machinery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moncure-d-conway/it-is-the-darling-delusion-of-mankind-that-the-world-is-progressive/) [Moncure D. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moncure-d-conway/) > [“Toleration is the prerogative of humanity; we are all full of weaknesses and mistakes; let us reciprocally forgive ourselves. It is the first law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/toleration-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all-full-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [No one says to them self - when I grow up I want to be tolerated. Ethnicity is not a choice anyone makes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-blake-michiels/no-one-says-to-them-self-when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-tolerated/) [Jordan Blake Michiels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-blake-michiels/) ## More by Charles James Fox > [Opinions become dangerous to a state only when persecution makes it necessary for the people to communicate their ideas under the bond of secrecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/opinions-become-dangerous-to-a-state-only-when-persecution-makes-it/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [I prefer the hardest terms of peace to the most just war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/i-prefer-the-hardest-terms-of-peace-to-the-most-just-war/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [ The question now was...whether that beautiful fabric \[the English constitution\]...was to be maintained in that freedom...for which blood had been spilt; or whether we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/the-question-now-was-whether-that-beautiful-fabric-the-english/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [There is no man who hates the power of the crown more, or who has a worse opinion of the Person to whom it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/there-is-no-man-who-hates-the-power-of-the-crown-more-or-who-has-a/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [What acquaintance have the people at large with the arena of political rectitude, with the connections of kingdoms, the resources of national strength, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/what-acquaintance-have-the-people-at-large-with-the-arena-of/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [There is a spirit of resistance implanted by the Deity in the breast of man, proportioned to the size of the wrongs he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/there-is-a-spirit-of-resistance-implanted-by-the-deity-in-the-breast/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Illustrious man! deriving honor less from the splendor of his situation than from the dignity of his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/illustrious-man-deriving-honor-less-from-the-splendor-of-his/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Bonaparte's wish is Peace, nay that he is afraid of war to the last degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/bonaparte-s-wish-is-peace-nay-that-he-is-afraid-of-war-to-the-last/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Any thing that proves that it is not in the power of Kings and Princes by their great armies to have every thing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/any-thing-that-proves-that-it-is-not-in-the-power-of-kings-and/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Toleration in religion was one of the great rights of man, and a man ought never to be deprived of what was his natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/toleration-in-religion-was-one-of-the-great-rights-of-man-and-a-man/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Peace is the wish of the French of Italy Spain Germany and all the world, and Great Britain alone the cause of preventing its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/peace-is-the-wish-of-the-french-of-italy-spain-germany-and-all-the/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [Our Sovereign's Health, the Majesty of the People.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/our-sovereign-s-health-the-majesty-of-the-people/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [He was uniformly of an opinion which, though not a popular one, he was ready to aver, that the right of governing was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/he-was-uniformly-of-an-opinion-which-though-not-a-popular-one-he-was/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [a greater evil than the restoration of the Bourbons to the world in general, and England in particular, can hardly happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/a-greater-evil-than-the-restoration-of-the-bourbons-to-the-world-in/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) > [The worst of revolutions is a restoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james-fox/the-worst-of-revolutions-is-a-restoration/) [Charles James Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) [Explore all 24 Charles James Fox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james-fox/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. 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