At the apex of the triangular pediment above the east entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court stand the statues of three great sages—Moses, Solon, and Confucius—symbolizing the foundations upon which the United States was built.

Moses was a Jewish prophet of the 13th century BCE and the author of the first five books of the Old Testament. Solon was a Greek statesman of the 7th century BCE and one of the earliest founders of democratic governance. Confucius was a Confucian master of the 6th century BCE who established the most comprehensive system of ethical and moral teaching.

Christian doctrine teaches that God created all things and created humankind, and that humans must revere God. For those who might become arrogant or unrestrained, there is an inviolable limit set above. Democratic politics pursues freedom and equality, but it must never forget that above there is a higher moral boundary, and below there is a foundation—ethical morality—that keeps people disciplined, prevents deviation, and guides them along the proper path.

The three sages above the Supreme Court allow us to see clearly the greatness of America and of the free world: above there is sovereignty, below there are guiding teachers; above there is reverence, below there is adherence. These three sages are all indispensable. Democracy without reverence becomes lawless; democracy without rules becomes chaos and reckless turmoil; reverence and rules without democracy become dictatorship and tyranny.

To act with reverence as human beings, to conduct affairs according to rules, and to uphold freedom and democracy—these are America’s core values and the very foundations of its nationhood.