Quotation by

Calvin Coolidge

Men speak of natural rights, but I challenge any one to show where in nature any rights existed or were recognized until there was established for their declaration and protection a duly promulgated body of corresponding laws.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Calvin Coolidge is saying that rights are not something that exist automatically in nature, but only come into being when laws are created to define and protect them. He argues that without an official legal system, the idea of natural rights has no real foundation or recognition.

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

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I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.
All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.
And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.