There is...a spiritual hunger in the world today and it cannot be satisfied...by better cars on longer credit terms.
Accuracy to a newspaper is what virtue is to a lady; but a newspaper can always print a retraction.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote compares the importance of accuracy in journalism to the virtue expected of a lady, highlighting that while virtue is often permanent, journalism can correct its mistakes.
Adlai E. Stevenson illustrates the notion that just as a lady's virtue is a fundamental aspect of her character, the accuracy of a newspaper is essential to its credibility. However, unlike a lady, whose virtue might be irreparable once tarnished, a newspaper has the ability to issue corrections and adjustments through retractions, symbolizing the potential for redemption in reporting. This comparison provokes thought on the weight of journalistic responsibility and the transient nature of public perception.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of truthful reporting in journalism.
More from Adlai E. Stevenson
All quotes →What a man knows at fifty that he did not know at twenty is, for the most part, incommunicable.
Journalists do not live by words alone, although sometimes they have to eat them.
Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.
We must recover the element of quality in our traditional pursuit of equality. We must not, in opening our schools to everyone, confuse the idea that all should have equal chance with the notion that all have equal endowments.
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The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity.
Many things are mechanical and should remain mechanical. But mechanical thoughts, mechanical feelings—that is what has to be studied and can and should be changed. Mechanical thinking is not worth a penny. You can think about many things mechanically, but you will get nothing from it.
Only a fool would leave the enjoyment of rainbows to the opticians. Or give the science of optics the last word on the matter.
Sentient beings, self and others, enemies and dear ones-all are made by thoughts. It is like seeing a rope and mistaking it for a snake. When we think that the rope is a snake, we are scared, but once we see that we are looking at a rope, our fear dissipates. We have been deluded by our thoughts. Likewise, mentally fabricating self and others, we generate attachment and aversion.
The fate of a nation depends on the way that they eat.