"Have Faith in Massachusetts" by Calvin Coolidge

One-paragraph review: Despite its name, "Have Faith in Massachusetts" is less about one state in particular and much more about Calvin Coolidge's general philosophy about what it takes to be an American. That philosophy may date to the book's original publication in 1919 (comprising 43 speeches and proclamations dating from 1914 to 1919), but it is entirely fresh and timely today. Coolidge believed in conserving the rule of law through restraint, from the restraint of executive power all the way down to the self-restraint of the learned individual, and his trademark pithiness makes the individual texts extremely easy to read. Coolidge's timeless observations range from "It is characteristic of the unlearned that they are forever proposing something which is old, and, because it has recently come to their own attention, supposing it to be new" to "In the promotion of human welfare Massachusetts happily may not need much reconstruction, but, like all living organizations, forever needs continuing construction." Throughout the book, a timeless fundamental optimism radiates through, acknowledging imperfection but cheering us on towards "a more perfect union".

Verdict: A very easy read with a truly stunning number of observations that are entirely applicable to the present day.

Note: The book is available for free on Project Gutenberg

Quotations

• "War is the rule of force. Peace is the reign of law."
• "Men do not make laws. They do but discover them. Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness. That state is most fortunate in its form of government which has the aptest instruments for the discovery of laws. The latest, most modern, and nearest perfect system that statesmanship has devised is representative government. Its weakness is the weakness of us imperfect human beings who administer it."
• "No nation has discarded it and retained liberty. Representative government must be preserved."
• "The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or resolve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can provide no substitute for the rewards of service. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self-government means self-support."
• "All growth depends upon activity. Life is manifest only by action. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. Work is not a curse, it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood, and the measure of civilization. Savages do not work. The growth of a sentiment that despises work is an appeal from civilization to barbarism."
• "It may be of little importance to determine at any time just where we are, but it is of the utmost importance to determine whither we are going. Set the course aright and time must bring mankind to the ultimate goal."
• "The progress of man has been measured by his commercial prosperity."
• "I have intended to indicate not only that commerce is an instrument of great power, but that commercial development is necessary to all human progress."
• "The measure of success is not the quantity of merchandise, but the quality of manhood which is produced."
• "[H]istory is made only by action."
• "Democracy is not a tearing-down; it is a building-up. It is not a denial of the divine right of kings; it supplements that claim with the assertion of the divine right of all men. It does not destroy; it fulfils."
• "All the forces of the universe are ranged on the side of democracy. It must prevail."
• "In the train of this idea there has come to man a long line of collateral blessings. Freedom has many sides and angles. Human slavery has been swept away. With security of personal rights has come security of property rights. The freedom of the human mind is recognized in the right of free speech and free press. The public schools have made education possible for all, and ignorance a disgrace. A most significant development of respect for man has come to be respect for his occupation. It is not alone for the learned professions that great treasures are now poured out. Technical, trade, and vocational schools for teaching skill in occupations are fostered and nourished, with the same care as colleges and universities for the teaching of sciences and the classics. Democracy not only ennobled man; it has ennobled industry. In political affairs the vote of the humblest has long counted for as much as the vote of the most exalted. We are working towards the day when, in our industrial life, equal honor shall fall to equal endeavor, whether it be exhibited in the office or in the shop."
• "We may claim with reason that our Nation has had the guidance of Providence; we may know that our form of government must ultimately prevail upon earth; but what guaranty have we that it shall be maintained here?"
• "But above all, the call to duty, the pledge of fortune and of life, nobility of character through nobility of action: this is Americanism."
• "Good government cannot be found on the bargain-counter. We have seen samples of bargain-counter government in the past when low tax rates were secured by increasing the bonded debt for current expenses or refusing to keep our institutions up to the standard in repairs, extensions, equipment, and accommodations. I refuse, and the Republican Party refuses, to endorse that method of sham and shoddy economy. New projects can wait, but the commitments of the Commonwealth must be maintained."
• "Let men in office substitute the midnight oil for the limelight."
• "It ought to be understood, however, that there can be no remedy for lack of industry and thrift, secured by law. It ought to be understood that no scheme of insurance and no scheme of government aid is likely to make us all prosperous. And above all, these remedies must go forward on the firm foundation of an independent, self-supporting, self-governing people. But we do honestly put forward a proposition for the relief of misfortune."
• "We shall utterly fail of our purpose to provide relief unless we look at things as they are. It is useless to indulge in indiscriminate abuse. We must not confuse the innocent with the guilty; it must be our object to allay suspicion, not to create it."
• "They did not want their commercial privileges interfered with by having the Government buy and sell for them. They had the self-reliance and the independence to prefer to do those things for themselves."