The advice I've been giving to people all my life - that you may not be interested in the dialectic but the dialectic is interested in you; you can't give up politics, it won't give you up - was the advice I should have been taking myself.
Interpretation
Politics affects everyone, whether we engage with it or not, and it's essential to remain aware and involved.
In this quote, Christopher Hitchens reflects on the inescapable nature of politics, suggesting that even if individuals choose to disengage from political discourse, the dynamics and consequences of politics will still influence their lives. He emphasizes the importance of staying informed and involved, as politics is a collective force that shapes society regardless of personal interest.
In practice
In a speech about civic responsibility, one might quote Hitchens to encourage political engagement.
In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Never ask while you are doing it if what you are doing is fun. Don't introduce even your most reliably witty acquaintance as someone who will set the table on a roar.
[E]xceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.
The worst days are when you feel foggy in the head - chemo-brain they call it. It's awful because you feel boring. As well as bored. And stupid. And resigned.
Let me tell you something: for hundreds of thousands of years, this kind of discussion would have been impossible to have, or those like us would have been having it at the risk of our lives. Religion now comes to us in this smiley-face, ingratiating way — because it’s had to give so much more ground and because we know so much more. But you’ve got no right to forget the way it behaved when it was strong, and when it really did believe that it had God on its side.
I'm always rather nervous about how you talk about women who are active in politics, whether they want to be talked about as women or as politicians.
There are still people in my party who believe in consensus politics. I regard them as Quislings, as traitors... I mean it.
In politics you must always keep running with the pack. The moment that you falter and they sense that you are injured, the rest will turn on you like wolves.
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
None of us here in Washington knows all or even half of the answers ... If you love your country, don't depend on handouts from Washington for your information. If you cherish your freedom, don't leave it all up to big government.
A constitution that is made for all nations is made for none.
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