How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #4
This must be taken as testimony of our common aspiration first voiced in the Charter of the United Nations to lift men everywhere to a higher standard of life and to a greater enjoyment of freedom. Man's desire for peace lies behind this Declaration. (48-49)
There were 58 members of the United Nations when the Commission on Human Rights was working on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That's a whole lot of people, with lots of different ideas, but one thing they all had in common was the desire to avoid another worldwide conflict like World War II. The only way to do that was to dictate, once and for all, the basic rights all people deserve because no one would be truly free until things like the right to life stopped being privileges.
Quote #5
This Declaration is based upon the spiritual fact that man must have freedom in which to develop his full stature and through common effort to raise the level of human dignity. We have much to do to fully achieve and to assure the rights set forth in this Declaration. But having them put before us with the moral backing of 58 nations will be a great step forward. (54-56)
You all know by now that nothing in life is easy—at least, not anything really worthwhile. And that was especially true when it came to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It wasn't perfect on a number of levels, and it wasn't international law, but what's important is that for the first time in human history, all the countries of the United Nations were fighting for the same thing. The declaration was pretty simple at its core: all people deserve basic rights, no matter what. It didn't automatically guarantee they'd have them, but it provided a foundation for each country to build on.