--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may look up to Armies for Defence, but…" description: "\"We may look up to Armies for Defence, but Virtue is our best Security. It is not possible that any state should long remain free, where Virtue is not s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/samuel-adams-3491_army_we-may-look-up-to-armies-for-defence-but_656514.jpg" --- # We may look up to Armies for Defence, but Virtue is our… ![“We may look up to Armies for Defence, but Virtue is our best Security. It is not possible that any state should long remain free, where Virtue is not supremely honord.” quote by Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/samuel-adams-3491_army_we-may-look-up-to-armies-for-defence-but_656514.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/samuel-adams-3491_army_we-may-look-up-to-armies-for-defence-but_656514.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/samuel-adams-3491_army_we-may-look-up-to-armies-for-defence-but_656514.jpg) > “We may look up to Armies for Defence, but Virtue is our best Security. It is not possible that any state should long remain free, where Virtue is not supremely honord.” [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Virtue is the strongest defense for a state; without it, freedom cannot endure. **In simple terms:** Virtue protects a free state. Key Takeaway Cultivate collective moral integrity. Themes politics morality freedom Mood serious inspirational Type political ethical When to use this quote - government policy - education - community building Key Concepts civic virtue security Questions to Reflect On - How can societies embed virtue in institutions? - What balances virtue with security? A Different Perspective Virtue alone may not stop external threats; practical defenses matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Defence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defence/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [The eyes of mankind will be upon you to see whether the Government, which is now more popular than it has been for many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/the-eyes-of-mankind-will-be-upon-you-to-see-whether-the-government/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [A speckled cat and a tame hare Eat at my hearthstone And sleep there; And both look up to me alone For learning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/a-speckled-cat-and-a-tame-hare-eat-at-my-hearthstone-and-sleep-there/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [In short, it is the greatest absurdity to suppose it in the power of one, or any number of men, at the entering into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/in-short-it-is-the-greatest-absurdity-to-suppose-it-in-the-power-of/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [Smuggling poems out of prison in the soles of mt shoes i'm way past finding salvation in the arms of a woman, I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raegan-butcher/smuggling-poems-out-of-prison-in-the-soles-of-mt-shoes-i-m-way-past/) [Raegan Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raegan-butcher/) > [...a tale of too many cooks in the defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-brown/a-tale-of-too-many-cooks-in-the-defence/) [Ian Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-brown/) > [Those who deny the right of a jury to protect an individual in resisting an unjust law of the government, deny him all defence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/those-who-deny-the-right-of-a-jury-to-protect-an-individual-in/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [I think a goalkeeper has to participate at the back of the defence and come off the line to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thibaut-courtois/i-think-a-goalkeeper-has-to-participate-at-the-back-of-the-defence/) [Thibaut Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thibaut-courtois/) > [A ten per cent reduction in military expenditures per year would be reasonable, coupled with a programme of retraining the workforce and redirecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/a-ten-per-cent-reduction-in-military-expenditures-per-year-would-be/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [The investment in our mining industry has been very positive for Australia but we need to be doing more if we want, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-rinehart/the-investment-in-our-mining-industry-has-been-very-positive-for/) [Gina Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-rinehart/) > [“It’s so easy to lose faith and become lost in all of the politics of the world. 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