One with the law is a majority.

Hear now the words of Calvin Coolidge, who declared with simple strength: “One with the law is a majority.” At first glance, this phrase appears paradoxical. How can one solitary soul outweigh the many? Yet within it lies a profound truth: that when an individual stands with justice, with righteousness, with the enduring power of the law, they carry a weight greater than the clamor of a thousand voices raised in falsehood. For truth is not measured by numbers, but by its alignment with eternal principles.

The meaning of this saying lies in the nature of law itself—not law as mere statute written by men, but law as the embodiment of order, justice, and the covenant that binds society together. When a person stands upon this foundation, they are not truly alone. They are upheld by centuries of wisdom, by the sacrifices of ancestors, and by the invisible strength of truth. To be “one with the law” is to wield a sword sharper than armies, a shield broader than crowds. Thus, Coolidge reminds us that integrity outweighs majority rule when that majority is blinded by passion or corrupted by greed.

The ancients, too, understood this. Consider the tale of Socrates, who stood accused by the multitude, condemned by the voices of the city. Though Athens judged him guilty, he declared himself bound by a higher law, that of truth and conscience. Even in death, his stand has outlasted the power of those who silenced him. So also with Cicero, who opposed tyranny in Rome. Though his enemies were many, he believed that one man with justice stood as a majority, for justice is not swayed by numbers, but by right.

History gives us modern echoes of this principle. In the American Civil Rights Movement, when Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a segregated bus, she was but one woman. Yet she was “one with the law”—not the unjust statutes of segregation, but the higher law of equality and human dignity. Her solitary act carried a moral majority that stirred a nation and bent the arc of history toward justice. The crowd against her was vast, but she stood taller than them all, for she stood with truth.

This saying also bears a warning for us. For if “one with the law is a majority,” then one opposed to the law, no matter how numerous their allies, is but a fragile minority. Crowds may roar, wealth may corrupt, and power may intimidate, but if these stand against justice, they are already defeated, though their victory may appear for a time. Tyrants rise and fall; mobs gather and scatter. But the law, when rooted in righteousness, endures beyond them.

The lesson for us is clear: do not be swayed by numbers when they are set against justice. Do not fear standing alone when you stand with truth. When you defend the weak, when you speak for what is right, when you honor the eternal principles of fairness and integrity, you are never truly alone. The strength of law, of conscience, of the ages, stands beside you, and in that, you are the true majority.

Therefore, O listener, let this teaching take root in your heart. Do not yield to the pressure of the many when they are wrong. Do not bow to the ease of compromise when justice calls you to stand firm. Instead, be steadfast, even if your voice trembles and your knees shake, for the law, when just, makes you greater than numbers. One with the law is a majority—and such a person can change the course of nations.

So let Coolidge’s words echo across generations: to stand with the law is to carry the strength of eternity itself. Stand boldly, stand rightly, and know that even as one, you may be mightier than the multitude.