We confide in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it.

The line articulates a civic and diplomatic ideal: a polity should possess sufficient power to secure its interests, yet exercise that power with restraint and without swagger. At the same time, it should acknowledge the capabilities of other nations (or rivals) realistically—neither dismissing them nor being intimidated by them. The balance implied here is between confidence and humility, deterrence and respect. Read in a Jeffersonian key, it also gestures toward republican virtue: strength is legitimate when grounded in self-command and public purpose, while fear and boasting alike distort judgment and invite needless conflict.