A Society In Which Men

It Is Still In The Lap Of The Gods Whether A Society Can Succeed Which Is Based On "civil Liberties And Human Rights" Conceived As I Have Tried To Describe Them; But Of One Thing At Least We May Be Sure: The Alternatives That Have So Far Appeared Have Been Immeasurably Worse.

I Often Wonder Whether We Do Not Rest Our Hopes Too Much Upon Constitutions, Upon Law And Upon Courts. These Are False Hopes, Believe Me, These Are False Hopes. Liberty Lies In The Hearts Of Men And Women; When It Dies There, No Constitution, No Law, No Court Can Save It; No Constitution, No Law, No Court Can Even Do Much To Help It. While It Lies There It Needs No Constitution, No Law, No Courts To Save It.

We Recently Had A Referendum In New York About Extending The Forest Preserve. The City Voted For It By A Large Majority; Yet As I Walk The Streets I Do Not See Afforestation Written With Conviction On The Harried Faces Of My Fellow Citizens.

The Mutual Confidence On Which All Else Depends Can Be Maintained Only By An Open Mind And A Brave Reliance Upon Free Discussion.

You Cannot Raise The Standard Against Oppression, Or Leap Into The Breach To Relieve Injustice, And Still Keep An Open Mind To Every Disconcerting Fact, Or An Open Ear To The Cold Voice Of Doubt.