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).