The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
James Russell LowellRead
I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
Interpretation
In a democracy, civility and good manners can be more powerful than aggression or violence.
James Russell Lowell's quote suggests that in a democratic society, the way we communicate and treat one another is crucial. Instead of resorting to physical violence or aggressive tactics, the power of polite debate and respectful discourse serves as a means of resolving conflict and fostering understanding among individuals. This highlights the importance of civility in maintaining a healthy society.
In practice
In a debate about political issues, I shared a quote by James Russell Lowell to emphasize the importance of respectful dialogue.
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
Good luck is the willing handmaid of upright, energetic character, and conscientious observance of duty.
Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
Old events have modern meanings; only that survives of past history which finds kindred in all hearts and lives.
I have never smuggled anything in my life. Why, then, do I feel an uneasy sense of guilt on approaching a customs barrier?
Fighting aging is like the War on Drugs. It's expensive, does more harm than good, and has been proven to never end.
If you wish to discover the guilty person, first find out to whom the crime might be useful.
AFFLICTION, n. An acclimatizing process preparing the soul for another and bitter world.
Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.
Since religion is a primitive form of philosophy β an attempt to offer a comprehensive view of reality β many of its myths are distorted, dramatized allegories based on some element of truth, some actual, if profoundly elusive, aspect of man's existence.
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