Be Generous Before You Are

The Fate Of Every Democracy, Of Every Government Based On The Sovereignty Of The People, Depends On The Choices It Makes Between These Opposite Principles, Absolute Power On The One Hand, And On The Other The Restraints Of Legality And The Authority Of Tradition.

At All Times Sincere Friends Of Freedom Have Been Rare, And Its Triumphs Have Been Due To Minorities, That Have Prevailed By Associating Themselves With Auxiliaries Whose Objects Often Differed From Their Own; And This Association, Which Is Always Dangerous, Has Sometimes Been Disastrous.

A History That Should Pursue All The Subtle Threads From End To End Might Be Eminently Valuable, But Not As A Tribute To Peace And Conciliation.

In Every Age Its (liberty's) Progress Has Been Beset By Its Natural Enemies, By Ignorance And Superstition, By Lust Of Conquest And By Love Of Ease, By The Strong Man's Craving For Power, And The Poor Man's Craving For Food

Government Rules The Present. Literature Rules The Future.