No people in history have ever survived who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies.

Acheson’s line argues that liberty is not preserved by appeasement or by trying to seem harmless to hostile powers. It reflects a realist view of international politics: adversaries are deterred by credible strength and resolve, not by self-restraint meant to avoid provoking them. The historical claim (“no people in history…”) functions rhetorically to warn that nations which rely on being “inoffensive” invite coercion and eventual loss of autonomy. In the Cold War frame often associated with Acheson, the quote supports policies of collective security, military preparedness, and alliance-building as prerequisites for safeguarding democratic freedoms.