Nations, like individuals in a state of nature, are equal and

Hear, O listeners, the solemn words of Millard Fillmore, once leader of a nation, who proclaimed: “Nations, like individuals in a state of nature, are equal and independent, possessing certain rights and owing certain duties to each other.” These words, though spoken in the age of statesmen and treaties, echo with the force of timeless wisdom, for they remind us that just as man must honor his neighbor, so too must kingdoms and empires honor one another.

At the heart of this saying lies the truth that a nation is but a great person, born of many souls bound together. And as each person is endowed by nature with dignity, freedom, and responsibility, so too are the communities they form. To declare that nations are equal is not to say they are alike in power or wealth, but that they are alike in essence: each possesses the right to exist, the right to govern itself, and the duty to respect the rights of others. This is the law written not by men but by the order of creation itself.

The ancients knew this truth, though not all obeyed it. In the story of the Greek city-states, Athens and Sparta often warred, yet they also stood side by side when Persia threatened to swallow them whole. In their unity, they honored the principle that though different, they were independent and owed each other a duty greater than rivalry: the duty of survival, the duty of liberty. When they stood together, they endured; when they forgot this truth and turned on each other, they fell to Macedon’s power. Thus history testifies: when nations honor equality and duty, they thrive; when they scorn it, they perish.

So too in more recent times, after the fires of the Second World War, the nations of the earth gathered to form the United Nations. Broken by the memory of devastation, they sought to bind themselves to a covenant: to honor rights, to uphold duties, to strive for peace even amidst difference. It was an imperfect endeavor, yet it revealed the ancient law Fillmore spoke of—that nations, like men, cannot exist in isolation, nor may they despise one another without bringing ruin upon themselves.

The meaning of this saying also reaches into the life of each individual. For just as nations owe duties, so do we. Each man and woman is sovereign, bearing the right to choose, to act, to speak—but bound also by duty to family, to community, to the stranger on the road. To live without duty is to fall into selfishness; to demand rights while ignoring responsibilities is to sow discord. Balance is the law of nature, and it binds both the single soul and the assembled nation.

Therefore, the lesson is clear: if you would live wisely, remember that your rights are twinned with duties. Defend your freedom, but also honor the freedom of others. Claim your independence, but do not use it to trample upon the weak. And when you rise in strength, extend a hand rather than a sword, for as nations owe each other respect, so too do individuals owe one another compassion.

Practical steps flow easily from this truth. In daily life, treat each person as a sovereign being, equal in dignity to yourself. In the life of nations, demand of your leaders that they pursue justice, peace, and respect across borders. Stand against oppression not only within your own land but wherever it arises, for your duty is not bound by walls or seas. In honoring the rights and duties of others, you strengthen your own.

So let Fillmore’s words endure: “Nations, like individuals, are equal and independent, possessing certain rights and owing certain duties.” Carry this wisdom as law in your heart. For when individuals live this way, harmony arises in the home; when nations live this way, peace arises in the world. And if the world forgets this truth, may you remember it, and may you pass it on like a torch through the ages.