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Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Quotes to Contemplate on the Fourth of July, IWSG



Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure
Writer's Support Group
, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:  Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!


Happy Fourth of July
It's what I'm thankful for.


Here are a bunch of quotes to contemplate during this holiday.

Stout elderly man in his 60s with long white hair, facing partway leftward
John Adams
“There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” John Adams

"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous." Frederick Douglas

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” – Erma Bombeck

“Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” – James Bryce

Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.jpg
Washington
“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” – George Washington

“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
—President George Washington





James Madison by Gilbert Stuart 1804.jpeg
Madison
“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” – James Madison

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
—Voltaire

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance.”
—President Woodrow Wilson

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves”
—President Abraham Lincoln

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." Peter Marshall

BenFranklinDuplessis.jpg
Franklin
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
—Benjamin Franklin

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
—Nelson Mandela

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt

America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way round. Human rights invented America.”
—President Jimmy Carter

A stern middle-aged man with gray hair is wearing a dark red suit. He is standing behind a table, holding a rolled up document in one hand, and pointing with the other hand to a large document on the table.
Samuel Adams
“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.”
—President John F. Kennedy

“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.”
—Samuel Adams

10 comments:

  1. Great quotes! Good food for thought about what patriotism really means. Have a wonderful 4th of July! Cheers - Ellen

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  2. Wonderful quotes. Happy 4th of July!

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  3. John Adams saw it coming. And I think we became a little more liberal than Washington ever imagined.
    Happy Fourth!

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  4. Happy July 4th! Wow, that John Adams quote is prescient. As vitriolic as it gets between Democrats and Republicans, I still think it's a good thing we have two parties providing checks and balances. I also think the vitriol is long-standing--we just hear about it more today in our media frenzy culture.

    What a wonderful collection of quotes. I also love the Bombeck and Voltaire quotes.

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  5. So much wisdom in just a few words, but from great men.

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  6. Some great words. They all remind me of the phrase "The frog is boiling."

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  7. Oh, Bish, you have really reminded us of something here. Our country is in terrible danger, and if we don't recognize those dangers, our children are going to suffer greatly. We should all go back our Constitution, our Bill of Rights. We should all familiarize ourselves with the Federalist Papers. We've strayed a long way from the principles that have given us our freedom. This is a non-partisan comment BTW. I blame both sides equally.

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    1. I do too, Lee. I also think that people have forgotten that our Constitution is not a static document, it is a Living Document. If that were not the case we could still have slavery and women wouldn't be able to vote, to name just 2 amendments. If the Constitution cannot be allowed to adapt/change with the times, then it becomes stagnate and looses it's strength, meaning, and resiliency. After all, if we don't like a constitutional law (Prohibition, the 18th Amendment) we can always repeal it (the 21st Amendment). It's not that big a deal if we really want it changed. But I think politicians would have us believe it's too complicated and too long a process to contemplate.

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  8. Hi Bish! I'm back to blogging and happy to be here! I'm trying to catch up with my blog friends' posts, so it will take a while! Wanted to stop and say Hello to you tonight. And thanks for all the wonderful quotes.

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!