Citizenship

Citizenship is when a person is part of a community. These people are often called citizens.

Quotes

• "I do not think that the effect of good environment, of fine buildings, of pleasant homes, upon the character, temperament, will, disposition, and energy of the people sufficiently dawns upon the average citizen." – Thomas Adams

Simple: When people have good things around them (nice buildings and homes that feel good), it helps the way they are, the kind of people they are, their will, the kinds of things they want to do and their energy. I think most people don't think about this enough.

• "This is not a contest between persons. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. I come to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty - the cause of humanity." – William Jennings Bryan

Simple: This is not a game to see which person is better. The humblest person in all the land, when wearing the armor of a just cause, is stronger than all the armies of error. I come to you to fight for a cause as special to God as the cause of freedom: the cause of humanity.

• "But without a caring society, without each citizen voluntarily accepting the weight of responsibility, government is destined to grow even larger, taking more of your money, burrowing deeper into your lives." – Jeb Bush

Simple: But without a loving society, without each citizen taking the weight of responsibility because they are willing to, then government has to keep growing larger, taking more of your money, digging deeper into your lives.

• "It is a remarkable comment on our affairs that the former prime minister of a great sovereign state should thus be received as an honorary citizen of another." – Winston Churchill

Simple: It is a very interesting thing about the way we do things, that someone who was the Prime Minister of a great country can become an honorary citizen of another country.

• "Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process." – Hillary Clinton

Simple: Voting is the most valuable right of every citizen, and it's important that we should make sure the way of doing the voting is honest.

• "Be assured, fellow citizens, that in a democracy it is the laws that guard the person of the citizen and the constitution of the state, whereas the despot and the oligarch find their protection in suspicion and in armed guards." – Aeschines

Simple: You can be sure, you people who are citizens with me, that in a democracy, the laws keep citizens safe and keep the organization of the state. But someone who is a leader of a country which is not a democracy, or someone who is part of a small group of leaders, keep themselves safe by not trusting other people and by using guards with weapons.

• "Today, the Iraqi citizen sees that America is coming and wants to occupy his country and kill him, and he is willing to experience for himself what happened in Palestine." – Bashar al-Assad

Simple: Now, citizens of Iraq see people from America coming to fight in their country and kill them, and they are ready to accept the same things happening to them that happened in Palestine.

• "I believe if a private citizen is able to affect public opinion in a constructive way he doesn't have to be an elected public servant to perform a public service." – Warren Beatty

Simple: I believe if an ordinary citizen can change the way other people think, and do that in a good way, then he doesn't need to be a politician to be able to do good things for the people.

• My favorite song is "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" because it's become my signature song. I sang it for six American presidents and five command performances... it's made me a world citizen. – Tony Bennett

Simple: The song I like best is "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", because it has become the song that is a sign of who I am. I sang it for six American presidents and five times when I was especially asked to sing... it has made me become a citizen of the world.

• "Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." – Thomas Jefferson

Simple: All citizens should be soldiers. The Greeks and Romans did that. Every free country should do that.

• "Every citizen will be able, in his productive years when he is earning, to insure himself against the ravages of illness in his old age." – Lyndon B. Johnson

Simple: Every citizen will be able to earn enough money when he is the right age to be healthy and able to earn money, to save up that money to help himself when he is old and sick.

• "The function of a citizen and a soldier are inseparable." – - Benito Mussolini

Simple: What a citizen does and what a soldier does are linked together firmly and cannot be separated.

• "The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight." – Theodore Roosevelt

Simple: The most important thing that a good citizen must do, in our republic, is to be able and willing to do his share of the work.

• "I believe with all my heart that America remains 'the great idea' that inspires the world. It is a privilege to be born here. It is an honor to become a citizen here. It is a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here." –. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Simple: I believe very strongly that American continues to be 'the great idea' that gives ideas and good feelings to the world. People are lucky if they are born here. It is an honor to be a citizen here. It is like someone giving you a gift: being lucky enough to help your family grow here, to vote here, and to live here.

• "It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a Free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it." – George Washington

Simple: We can say that this is one of the most important things. It's what holds up our system. Every Citizen who is protected by a Free Government shouldn't just pay part of his property to help keep the Free Government safe. He himself should do work to keep it safe.

• "Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens." – Plato

Simple: For the State (government) to be fair, first there has to be justice (fairness) in the hearts and souls of the citizens.

• "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." – Abraham Lincoln

Simple: I believe, very much, in the people. When the people have the truth, they are always able to make things go right when any big problem happens in the country. The most important thing is to tell the people the things that are really true.

Other websites

• Citizenship on Wikipedia
• citizenship on the English Wiktionary