Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.

The passage contrasts reputation-preserving “respectability” with the moral courage required for social change. It argues that reform is driven not by those who cautiously conform to prevailing norms, but by people willing to risk social standing—being “anything or nothing” in public opinion—to align themselves openly with unpopular causes and stigmatized advocates. The emphasis on avowing sympathies “publicly and privately” underscores integrity: reformers must be consistent, not merely performative. The final clause—“bear the consequences”—frames activism as a deliberate acceptance of backlash, suggesting that enduring social progress depends on a willingness to absorb personal costs for collective justice.