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Quotes

“A man is worthy of praise or blame solely on account of those actions which lie within his power to do or not to do.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“For, in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘holds office’ every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.”

John F. Kennedy · Profiles in Courage, 1956 · Primary source

“One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended.”

Abraham Lincoln · First Inaugural Address, 1861 · Primary source

“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Abraham Lincoln · First Inaugural Address, 1861 · Primary source

“Why is it immoral for you to desire, but moral for others to do so? Why is it immoral to produce a value and keep it, but moral to give it away? And if it is not moral for you to keep a value, why is it moral for others to accept it? If you are selfless and virtuous when you give it, are they not selfish and vicious when they take it?”

Ayn Rand · Atlas Shrugged, 1957 · Primary source

“Vice knows she’s ugly, so puts on her mask.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Without justice courage is weak.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“All things truly wicked start from an innocence.”

Ernest Hemingway · A Moveable Feast, 1964 · Primary source

“History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.”

Ian Fleming · Casino Royale, 1953 · Primary source

“There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.”

Henry David Thoreau · Resistance to Civil Government, 1849 · Primary source

“It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right.”

Henry David Thoreau · Resistance to Civil Government, 1849 · Primary source

“To speak well of a base man is much the same as speaking ill of a good man.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

Works

Henry David Thoreau · 1849
Resistance to Civil Government

An argument for individual conscience over unjust state authority, examining taxation, slavery, war, resistance, and the moral limits of government.

Read summary·Explore 7 quotes
Ian Fleming · 1960
For Your Eyes Only

Five James Bond stories exploring espionage, revenge, smuggling, personal relationships, and moral judgement across varied international settings.

Read summary·Explore 2 quotes
Richard Feynman · 1998
The Meaning of It All

Three lectures examining scientific uncertainty, values, religion, politics, and the wider consequences of applying scientific habits of thought.

Read summary·Explore 9 quotes

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