“ Generally peace tells for righteousness; but if there is conflict between the two, then our fealty is due-first to the cause of righteousness. Unrighteous wars are common, and unrighteous peace is rare; but both should be shunned. ”
Theodore Roosevelt, State of the Union Address. copy citation
| Author | Theodore Roosevelt |
|---|---|
| Source | State of the Union Address |
| Topic | war peace |
| Date | |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5032/5032-h/5032-h.htm |
Context
“The goal to set before us as a nation, the goal which should be set before all mankind, is the attainment of the peace of justice, of the peace which comes when each nation is not merely safe-guarded in its own rights, but scrupulously recognizes and performs its duty toward others. Generally peace tells for righteousness; but if there is conflict between the two, then our fealty is due-first to the cause of righteousness. Unrighteous wars are common, and unrighteous peace is rare; but both should be shunned. The right of freedom and the responsibility for the exercise of that right can not be divorced. One of our great poets has well and finely said that freedom is not a gift that tarries long in the hands of cowards.”
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