---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A constitutional state is like daily…"
description: "\"A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about democracy is that it is the only system cap..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg"
---

#  A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to…

![“A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about democracy is that it is the only system capable of securing the constitutional state.” quote by Gustav Radbruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg)

> “A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about democracy is that it is the only system capable of securing the constitutional state.”

Gustav Radbruch

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A constitutional state provides essential stability like basic needs, and democracy uniquely secures it.

**In simple terms:** Basic needs need democracy to protect them.

Key Takeaway

Support democratic institutions.

Themes

government democracy rights stability citizenship

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- voting
- policy making
- civil activism
- public discourse
- civic education

Key Concepts

rule of law social contract public good

Questions to Reflect On

- How can citizens strengthen democracy?
- What responsibilities accompany rights?

A Different Perspective

Democracy alone may not guarantee protection without active citizen participation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Daily bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-bread/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [Information obtained under dubious circumstances cannot play a role in legal proceedings in a constitutional state. But everything that's available must be taken into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/information-obtained-under-dubious-circumstances-cannot-play-a-role/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [In most constitutional states the citizens rule and are ruled by turns, for the idea of a constitutional state implies that the natures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/in-most-constitutional-states-the-citizens-rule-and-are-ruled-by/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Even if the Constitution of the United States had intended to recognize slavery, as a constitutional state institution, such intended recognition would have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/even-if-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-had-intended-to/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/democracy-is-the-only-system-capable-of-reflecting-the-humanist/)

[John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/)

> [The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-best-things-are-nearest-breath-in-your-nostrils-light-in-your/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“Nobody knew literature and history better than these people, nobody could write better Russian than they, nobody despised our times more profoundly. For these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/nobody-knew-literature-and-history-better-than-these-people-nobody/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [“9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:  Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.  10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/9-therefore-you-should-pray-like-this-our-father-in-heaven-your-name/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ This letter \[to the Romans\] is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/this-letter-to-the-romans-is-truly-the-most-important-piece-in-the/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [“Our father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-holy-bible/our-father-who-art-in-heaven-hallowed-be-thy-name-thy-kingdom-come/)

the holy bible

> [“Modern Our Father, who is in heaven, blessed be your name. Give us our daily bread today. All three of these languages were rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcwhorter/modern-our-father-who-is-in-heaven-blessed-be-your-name-give-us-our/)

[John McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcwhorter/)

> [“The undiscerning observer may think that this mixture of ideal and reality, of the human and spiritual, is most likely to be present where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-undiscerning-observer-may-think-that-this-mixture-of-ideal-and/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/)

[Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/)

> [Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/outdoors-we-are-confronted-everywhere-with-wonders-we-see-that-the/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortune on the other, who when abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/he-told-me-it-was-for-men-of-desperate-fortunes-on-one-hand-or-of/)

[Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

Browse all 6,278 Air quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about democracy is that it is the only system capable of securing the constitutional state.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gustav Radbruch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-radbruch/a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bread-like-water-to-drink-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-radbruch/a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bread-like-water-to-drink-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/gustav-radbruch-240916_air_a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bre_2830438.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about…” — Gustav Radbruch",
                "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": "Gustav Radbruch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-radbruch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A constitutional state is like daily...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-radbruch/a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bread-like-water-to-drink-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-radbruch/a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bread-like-water-to-drink-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
