Country Quote by Omar N. Bradley
“The nation needs men who think in terms of service to their country and not in terms of their country's debt to them.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public address, 1950s
He argues a nation should value citizens who serve selflessly over those who demand benefits based on perceived entitlement.
In simple terms: Service should trump entitlement.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize service over entitlement.
Themes
service
citizenship
national duty
Mood
patriotic
serious
Type
motivational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- military recruitment
- public policy
- community volunteering
- education curricula
Key Concepts
Civic responsibility
social contract
Questions to Reflect On
- What incentives encourage service?
- How to balance rights and responsibilities?
A Different Perspective
Entitlement attitudes can undermine collective effort.
![“I acknowledge that such a debt [of service to my fellow-citizens] exists, that a tour of duty in whatever line he can be most useful to his country, is due from every individual. It is not easy perhaps to say of what length exactly that tour should be, but we may safely say of what length it…” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/526/thomas-jefferson-43_acknowledge_i-acknowledge-that-such-a-debt-of-servic_2508145.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
