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About this quote

What does it mean?
Ingersoll observes that throughout history, the powerful have oppressed the weak without any divine intervention to help them.
In plain terms
History shows the strong crushing the weak while no god has ever stepped in to save the oppressed.
What can you take from it?
History shows the strong oppressing the weak without divine intervention.

Where it applies

  • discussing social justice
  • critiquing religious promise
  • analyzing historical patterns

Putting it to work

  • advocating for self-reliance
  • critiquing religious promises
  • focusing on human action

Questions to consider

  • Has divine help ever intervened?
  • What should protect the weak instead?

Another view

It generalizes all of history as devoid of justice or mercy.

More from Robert G. Ingersoll

  1. Above the natural, man cannot rise. There can be deformed ideas; as there are deformed persons. There may be religions monstrous and misshapen, but they were n…

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  2. All the altars and all the thrones united to arrest the forward march of the human race. The king said that mankind must not work for themselves. The priest sa…

    Permalink to quote #86
  3. Above all creeds, above all religions, after all, is that divine thing, - Humanity.

    Permalink to quote #83

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