The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government.

The quotation frames liberty as a dynamic balance rather than a fixed inheritance. Roosevelt argues that freedom is secured neither by a weak state nor by unchecked governmental power, but by two complementary strengths: institutions capable of defending the public interest, and citizens educated and organized enough to supervise those institutions. The “bulwark” metaphor suggests that liberty requires active maintenance—laws, enforcement, and administrative capacity on one side, and democratic vigilance on the other. Implicit is a Progressive/New Deal premise: modern economic and social forces can overwhelm individuals unless government has the capacity to act, yet that capacity must remain accountable to an informed electorate to avoid drifting into coercion.