| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
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| NUMBER: | 25543 |
| QUOTATION: | I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue! |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Barry Goldwater (b. 1909), U.S. Republican politician. Speech, July 16, 1964, accepting presidential nomination, Republican National Convention, San Francisco.
The Democratic candidate for the presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson, answered this statement in a speech in New York, October 31, 1964: “Extremism in the pursuit of the Presidency is an unpardonable vice. Moderation in the affairs of the nation is the highest virtue.” Three days later Johnson won a sweeping victory over Goldwater in the presidential election. |
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| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
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