--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must not permit our respect for the…" description: "\"We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/davy-crockett-12646_acts-of-charity_we-must-not-permit-our-respect-for-the-d_518620.jpg" --- # We must not permit our respect for the dead or our… ![“We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not attempt to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the…” quote by Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/davy-crockett-12646_acts-of-charity_we-must-not-permit-our-respect-for-the-d_518620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/davy-crockett-12646_acts-of-charity_we-must-not-permit-our-respect-for-the-d_518620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/davy-crockett-12646_acts-of-charity_we-must-not-permit-our-respect-for-the-d_518620.jpg) > “We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not attempt to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” [Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that personal respect for the dead and sympathy for the living should not justify unjust actions that disrupt societal balance, and that legislators lack authority to allocate public funds as charity. **In simple terms:** Do not let personal feelings override public duty or misuse public money. Key Takeaway Respect must not excuse injustice. Themes ethics public duty government justice Mood concerned reflective Type political ethical When to use this quote - legislative decision making - budget allocation - charitable giving - policy debate Key Concepts public finance political responsibility moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can lawmakers balance empathy with fiscal responsibility? - When is it appropriate for government to intervene in charity? A Different Perspective Public funds must serve the common good, not individual sentiment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acts of charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-charity/) [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Public money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-money/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/we-have-the-right-as-individuals-to-give-away-as-much-of-our-own/) [Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/) > ['We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/we-have-the-right-as-individuals-to-give-away-as-much-of-our-own-2/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [Most Americans, who think Congress has a right to do anything for which they can get a majority vote, ignore the clearly written constitutional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/most-americans-who-think-congress-has-a-right-to-do-anything-for/) [Walter E. 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Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/) ## More by Davy Crockett > [You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/you-may-all-go-to-hell-and-i-will-go-to-texas/) [Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/) > [I voted against this Indian bill, and my conscience yet tells me that I gave a good, honest vote, and one that I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-crockett/i-voted-against-this-indian-bill-and-my-conscience-yet-tells-me-that/) [Davy Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-crockett/) > [No man who has not tried it can imagine what dreadful hard work it is to listen. 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The need of the creator comes before the need of any possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/creation-comes-before-distribution-or-there-will-be-nothing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A wise man should not divulge the formula of a medicine which he has well prepared; an act of charity which he has performed;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-wise-man-should-not-divulge-the-formula-of-a-medicine-which-he-has/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) [Browse all 31 Acts of charity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-of-charity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not attempt to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. 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