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Reverencing the rights of humanity, I shall dare to assert them.
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“Reverencing the rights of humanity, I shall dare to assert them.”

Mary Wollstonecraft

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Source
A Vindication of the Rights of Men
Date
1790
Meaning

Meaning of “Reverencing the rights of humanity, I shall dare…”

Wollstonecraft presents public argument as an obligation to defend human rights even when ridicule or social pressure makes such advocacy uncomfortable.

Source context

Where does it come from?

A Vindication of the Rights of Men, opening pages; the sentence immediately follows her statement that she contends for the rights of men and liberty of reason.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

Courage Quotes About Acting Despite FearFearFreedomHumanityIntegrityLeadershipResponsibilityShortStrengthJusticeRights
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Let us stand by our duty, fearlessly and effectively.
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“Let us stand by our duty, fearlessly and effectively.”

Abraham Lincoln · Cooper Union Address · 1860
Meaning & context

Once a moral and political conclusion has been reached, Lincoln argues that intimidation and evasive compromise should not displace the duty that follows from that judgment.

Source details

Cooper Union Address, February 27, 1860. The sentence appears in Lincoln’s closing argument about opposing slavery’s spread and should not be detached into a context-free command about every disputed duty.

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To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.
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“To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.”

Confucius · The Analects of Confucius · James Legge translation
Meaning & context

Recognizing the right course is incomplete if fear or convenience prevents a person from acting on that judgment.

Source details

The Analects of Confucius, James Legge’s public-domain English translation; Book II connects moral recognition with the courage required for action.

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I shall obey God rather than you.
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“I shall obey God rather than you.”

Plato · Apology · 4th century BCE
Voice: Dialogue speaker · Socrates
Meaning & context

Socrates presents moral and philosophical duty as more binding than compliance with pressure from political authority.

Source details

Apology, Jowett translation; Socrates says he would continue practicing philosophy even if acquittal were conditioned on silence.

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Let us have faith that right makes might.
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“Let us have faith that right makes might.”

Abraham Lincoln · Cooper Union Address · 1860
Meaning & context

Lincoln reverses the idea that power establishes right, arguing that moral judgment should guide sustained political action rather than treating strength or intimidation as proof of justice.

Source details

Cooper Union Address, February 27, 1860, closing passage. Lincoln is defending Republican opposition to the extension of slavery into federal territories; the line retains that antislavery political context.

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I contend for the rights of men and the liberty of reason.
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“I contend for the rights of men and the liberty of reason.”

Mary Wollstonecraft · A Vindication of the Rights of Men · 1790
Meaning & context

The line joins political rights with intellectual liberty: the argument is not merely for a different ruler but for people’s capacity to reason without inherited deference.

Source details

A Vindication of the Rights of Men, opening letter to Edmund Burke; Wollstonecraft frames the pamphlet as a defense of human rights and the liberty of reason.

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