Words To Ponder

In an essay entitled "The McGillivray Moment" by Joseph J. Ellis from a collection of writings by historians edited by Byron Hollinshead and published under the title, "I Wish I'd Been There", appears the somber advice:

"... An overwhelming conviction about the rightness of [a] cause [is] no guarantee of its ultimate triumph."

This brings to mind the adage, "When good men do nothing, evil will surely triumph." or some similar sentiment. How else can current events of our nation be explained?