If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
Interpretation
Forgiveness is important, but it's wise to remember the actions of those who have wronged you.
This quote emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in fostering personal peace and moving forward; however, it also cautions against naivety by urging us to remember the identities of those who have harmed us. It suggests that while we should not hold on to bitterness or revenge, we should stay aware of past betrayals to inform our future interactions.
In practice
During a speech about personal growth, you could include this quote to illustrate the balance between forgiveness and awareness.
If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
The most difficult thing for people to do is hear their own soul.
Once you master how your own consciousness operates, anything can be desired and achieved.
How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much about life in these four days; more, I think than in all other time. I'd like to be an old man to really know. I wonder if you keep on learning or if there is only a certain amount each man can understand. I thought I knew so many things that I know nothing of. I wish there was more time.
I know that I cannot take responsibility for other people. We are all under the law of our own consciousness.
As the Japanese Zen masters say, “Don't seek the truth; just drop your opinions”. Drop your theories; don't seek the truth.
What's invisible to us is also crucial for our own well-being.
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