--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Principles have a way of enduring, as do…" description: "\"Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few irreducible individuals who maintain allegiance to them.\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg" --- # Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few… ![“Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few irreducible individuals who maintain allegiance to them.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg) > “Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few irreducible individuals who maintain allegiance to them.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Principles persist over time, and rare individuals who stay true to them endure despite pressure. **In simple terms:** Principles last; steadfast people endure. Key Takeaway Stay true to your core values. Themes integrity resilience individualism Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - activism - personal development Key Concepts moral philosophy authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance principle with flexibility? - What costs have you faced for staying true? A Different Perspective Principles can become rigid and exclude nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allegiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegiance/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Enduring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring/) [Enduring Irreducible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring-irreducible-5051393/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individuals Maintain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuals-maintain-5051394/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Irreducible Individuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irreducible-individuals-5051395/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [Maintain Allegiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintain-allegiance-5051392/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“Allegiance is a powerful force in human affairs; it will not do to treat someone as a mental serf if he is convinced that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/allegiance-is-a-powerful-force-in-human-affairs-it-will-not-do-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Very often the test of one's allegiance to a cause or to a people is precisely the willingness to stay the course when things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/very-often-the-test-of-one-s-allegiance-to-a-cause-or-to-a-people-is-2/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There is almost no country in Africa where it is not essential to know to which tribe, or which subgroup of which tribe, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-is-almost-no-country-in-africa-where-it-is-not-essential-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Very often the test of one's allegiance to a cause or to a people is precisely the willingness to stay the course when things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/very-often-the-test-of-one-s-allegiance-to-a-cause-or-to-a-people-is/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I think there is something about a story that is enduring. Stories take on a life of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-think-there-is-something-about-a-story-that-is-enduring-stories/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [The religious is any activity pursued in behalf of an ideal end against obstacles and in spite of threats of personal loss because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-religious-is-any-activity-pursued-in-behalf-of-an-ideal-end/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [I have reared a memorial more enduring than brass, and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids, which neither the corroding shower nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/i-have-reared-a-memorial-more-enduring-than-brass-and-loftier-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/nothing-great-is-ever-achieved-without-much-enduring/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I believe that the Constitution is an enduring document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-believe-that-the-constitution-is-an-enduring-document/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [When Caroline Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 as her father's rightful heir, she laid upon him the mantle of Camelot and the enduring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/when-caroline-kennedy-endorsed-barack-obama-in-2008-as-her-father-s/) [Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [If we are deprived of hope as well as fear, we are compensated by being given an almost endless patience for enduring or simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/if-we-are-deprived-of-hope-as-well-as-fear-we-are-compensated-by/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Allegiance quotes > [“Maybe it begins the day you pledge allegiance, face the flag and suddenly clutch your left clavicle because you find a tender puff of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-johnson/maybe-it-begins-the-day-you-pledge-allegiance-face-the-flag-and/) [Marilyn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-johnson/) > [I was under the influence of the early modern masters, Fitzgerald and Steinbeck and Hemingway, especially, when I was a kid. I reacted against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/i-was-under-the-influence-of-the-early-modern-masters-fitzgerald-and/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) > [“The Pledge of Allegiance says 'liberty and justice for all'. Which part of 'all' don't you understand?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-schroeder/the-pledge-of-allegiance-says-liberty-and-justice-for-all-which-part/) [Pat Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-schroeder/) > [They're counting on your patriotism to distract you from their plunder. They're counting on you to be standing at attention with your hand over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/they-re-counting-on-your-patriotism-to-distract-you-from-their/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [There is a congratulatory culture in the Gulf. From birth onwards, there is a culture of giving people trophies as markers of achievement for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayshay/there-is-a-congratulatory-culture-in-the-gulf-from-birth-onwards/) [Ayshay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayshay/) > [“We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/we-may-give-our-human-loves-the-unconditional-allegiance-which-we-owe/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [In my imaginary utopian world there would be a greater allegiance between music writers and musicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/in-my-imaginary-utopian-world-there-would-be-a-greater-allegiance/) [Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/) > [“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the great Republic of America, to our Elector Primo, to our glorious states, to unity against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-of-the-great-republic-of-america-to/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [Let's do more than say the 'Pledge of Allegiance.' Let us live it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-cleaver/let-s-do-more-than-say-the-pledge-of-allegiance-let-us-live-it/) [Emanuel Cleaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-cleaver/) > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“We're not to do everything man tells us to do. We are to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, and our allegiance to the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-c-morecraft-iii/we-re-not-to-do-everything-man-tells-us-to-do-we-are-to-obey-the-lord/) [Joseph C. Morecraft III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-c-morecraft-iii/) > [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“I would find no value in the allegiance of a fool ready to give himself up to any old hag of Black Imagination who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beddor/i-would-find-no-value-in-the-allegiance-of-a-fool-ready-to-give/) [Frank Beddor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-beddor/) > [Allegiance, after all, has to work two ways; and one can grow weary of an allegiance which is not reciprocal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/allegiance-after-all-has-to-work-two-ways-and-one-can-grow-weary-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it is right for Canadians to be asked to show their faces when they're taking the oath. On revocation of citizenship, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-alexander/i-think-it-is-right-for-canadians-to-be-asked-to-show-their-faces/) [Chris Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-alexander/) [Browse all 409 Allegiance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegiance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few irreducible individuals who maintain allegiance to them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do-the-few-irreducible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allegiance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do-the-few-irreducible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1e/christopher-hitchens-117_allegiance_principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do_2236393.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Principles have a way of enduring, as do the few irreducible individuals who maintain allegiance to them.” — Christopher Hitchens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Principles have a way of enduring,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do-the-few-irreducible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/principles-have-a-way-of-enduring-as-do-the-few-irreducible/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```