Constitution Quote by Robert A. Heinlein
““But in writing your constitution let me invite attention the wonderful virtues of the negative! Accentuate the negative! Let your document be studded with things the government is forever forbidden to do. No conscript armies . . . no interference however slight with freedom of press, or speech, or travel, or assembly, or of religion, or of instruction, or communication, or occupation. . . no involuntary taxation. Comrades, if you were to spend five years in a study of history while thinking of more and more things that your government should promise never to do and then let your constitution be nothing but those negatives, I would not fear the outcome.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, 1966
A constitution should focus on prohibiting government overreach, emphasizing negative liberties to protect freedom.
In simple terms: Constitutions work best by listing what government cannot do.
Key Takeaway
Draft charters that limit state power.
Themes
freedom
government limits
constitutional design
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- Drafting constitutions
- civil rights advocacy
- policy reform
Key Concepts
Negative liberty
law of the land
Questions to Reflect On
- What essential rights might be omitted?
- How to balance negative and positive liberties?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on negatives may ignore positive duties.
![“Let [the Constitution] be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges, let it be written in primers, in spelling books and in almanacs, let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/82d/abraham-lincoln-88_books_let-the-constitution-be-taught-in-school_279116.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
