Love consists in leaving the loved one space to be themselves while providing the security within which that self may flourish.
Tony JudtRead
If active or concerned citizens forfeit politics, they thereby abandon their society to its most mediocre and venal public servants
Interpretation
What this quote means
Citizens must engage in politics to prevent unqualified leaders from taking control of society.
This quote by Tony Judt emphasizes the responsibility of citizens to participate in political processes. When individuals who care about their community disengage from politics, they inadvertently allow less capable and corrupt officials to dominate the system, ultimately leading to a decline in societal quality and integrity.
Themes
PoliticsCitizenshipResponsibilityEngagementSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about civic duty, one might say, 'As Tony Judt wisely pointed out, if active citizens forfeit politics, they give way to mediocre leaders.'
More from Tony Judt
All quotes →Obviously a primary liberal conviction is that we should be tolerant of other peoples' convictions. But if we believe in something, we had better find ways to say so convincingly.
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Social democracy does not represent an ideal future; it does not even represent the ideal past.
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What I am against is false optimism: the notion either that things have to go well, or else that they tend to, or else that the default condition of historical trajectories is characteristically beneficial in the long-run.
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I'm not sure I've learned anything new about life; but I've had to think harder about death and what comes after for other people.
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We are not merely historians but also and always citizens.
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