To give up the task of reforming society is to give up one’s responsibility as a free man. The task itself is endless, and large parts of it, sometimes the whole of it, must be performed anew by each succeeding generation.

Alan Paton (1903-1988) South African author, activist

“The Challenge of Fear,” The Saturday Review (1967-09-09)
    (Source)

Collected in Sheridan Baker, The Essayist (1981).