“The first duty of a man is to think for himself.” – Jose Marti, Hombre del Campo

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This is only a partial quote. The full quote is “The first duty of a man is to think for himself. For that reason I do not want you to respect the priest, because he will not let you think.” and is taken from a short tract Marti authored called “Hombre del campo” (The Countryman). This tract was written to oppose unscrupulous priests who used the teachings of Christ to influence political matters. Marti believed the Roman Catholic Church was acting wrongly and that church and state should be separated. It was Marti’s belief that Christianity had died under Roman Catholicism, which is used for political measures. As time has passed, the quote has been shortened to the fundamental truth that each person should think for themselves and be guided by their own conscience. This is particularly appropriate when approaching voting as we do today in the United States.