We should be selling energy to our friends and allies instead

In the spirit of the statesman and entrepreneur, Doug Burgum, these words resound with both conviction and clarity: “We should be selling energy to our friends and allies instead of buying it from our adversaries and erecting more roadblocks to U.S. energy independence.” In this declaration lies not only a policy but a philosophy — one rooted in the ancient wisdom that strength, when rightly used, becomes both protection and service. Burgum’s words remind us that the foundation of peace is not dependence but self-reliance, and that a nation’s true power lies in its ability to sustain itself while uplifting those who share its values.

The heart of this quote speaks to the timeless principle of sovereignty through strength. In every age, the great nations that endured were those that could draw upon their own resources — not merely the materials of the earth, but the courage, innovation, and unity of their people. Burgum calls us to remember this truth: that when a people depend upon their adversaries for the energy that fuels their homes, industries, and armies, they surrender not just wealth, but freedom. For energy is life — the breath of civilization, the power that drives every city, every farm, every hearth. To rely upon those who would see us weakened is to place the beating heart of the nation in another’s hands.

History has shown this lesson in vivid colors. In the cold winter of 1973, when the oil embargo struck, America felt the sting of vulnerability. Lines of cars stretched for miles as citizens waited for fuel, and the world realized how swiftly dependence could become peril. Nations that controlled their own resources endured; those that did not were brought low. From that crisis was born a renewed determination for energy independence, a recognition that control over one’s power is the very essence of freedom. Burgum’s words echo that same ancient lesson — that the strong must produce, not plead; they must build, not beg.

Moreover, Burgum’s wisdom calls us not only to independence, but to generosity. “We should be selling energy to our friends and allies,” he says — meaning that strength, once secured, must be shared with the just. The purpose of power is not domination, but stability; not greed, but goodwill. To provide energy to allies is to fortify the bonds of friendship, to ensure that freedom’s flame burns brightly not in one land, but in many. Just as the Romans built roads that connected their empire, so too should free nations build pipelines and partnerships that link them in mutual prosperity and trust.

The deeper meaning of his words lies in the moral law of stewardship. The bounty of the earth — the oil, the wind, the sun — is a gift, but one that demands wisdom. Burgum’s warning against “erecting roadblocks” speaks to the folly of those who, in their pursuit of idealism, hinder the very innovation that can secure both prosperity and environmental balance. The wise do not reject progress; they channel it. True stewardship is not the abandonment of power, but its righteous use. To harness energy responsibly is to honor both man and nature — to find harmony between strength and sustainability.

We see this truth mirrored in the story of America’s pioneers, who crossed vast wildernesses not by waiting for others to provide, but by drawing upon the resources at hand — the rivers, the forests, the winds. Their independence was not given to them; it was carved from the soil by their own determination. And so too must the modern age reclaim that spirit: to innovate, to dig, to build, to invent — to turn every obstacle into an opportunity for creation. For the world still belongs to those who act, not those who wait.

Let this then be the lesson: dependence breeds weakness, but self-reliance breeds freedom. The same is true for a person as for a nation. If you would be free, you must master your own resources — your time, your labor, your mind. Do not wait for others to sustain you. Produce. Create. Share your strength with those who walk beside you in goodwill. For the one who generates power uplifts himself and his people; the one who depends on his enemies courts ruin.

Thus, the wisdom of Doug Burgum stands as both prophecy and call to action: a nation’s independence is the soul of its liberty. To trade freely with friends, to build rather than hinder, to use power as a force for peace — this is not merely policy, but principle. Let every generation remember: the fire of freedom must be fed from within, and once kindled, it must be used not to burn, but to illuminate the world.