The market is not an invention of capitalism. It has existed for centuries. It is an invention of civilization.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers and mothers?-Or do they wish us to return thanks to them for chaining and handcuffing us, branding us, cramming fire down our throats, or for keeping us in slavery, and beating us nearly or quite to death to make us work in ignorance and miseries, to support them and their families. They certainly think we are a gang of fools.
Interpretation
The quote expresses deep resentment and challenges the notion of gratitude in the context of historical oppression.
David Walker's quote powerfully confronts the hypocrisy of those who expect gratitude from a group that has suffered immense injustices. He questions the validity of thankfulness in light of the atrocities committed against his ancestors and highlights the absurdity of expecting appreciation for oppression, thus advocating for recognition of the historical pain and injustice endured.
In practice
In a speech on social justice, one could reference this quote to highlight the importance of acknowledging historical grievances.
The market is not an invention of capitalism. It has existed for centuries. It is an invention of civilization.
Do not commit spiritual suicide through a passion for discussing metaphysical subtleties.
If you live long enough, sooner or later everybody you know has cancer.
This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. A single world, our own, suffices us; but we can't accept it for what it is. We are searching for an ideal image of our own world: we go in quest of a planet, a civilization superior to our own but developed on the basis of a prototype of our primeval past.
Sometimes, in doing philosophy, one just wants to utter an inarticulate sound.
If more Africans had eaten missionaries, the continent would be in better shape.
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