Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of intelligence and critical thinking over race or identity-based power.
Barbara Jordan's quote suggests that instead of focusing on racial or environmental power, we should prioritize the capacity of our minds and intellect. It underscores the idea that true strength and progress come from the application of knowledge and thoughtful decision-making rather than division based on identity. By advocating for 'brain power,' Jordan encourages a collective pursuit of understanding and intelligent action that transcends superficial distinctions.
In practice
In a speech about community progress, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of education.
Let's all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.
We want to be in control of our lives. Whether we are jungle fighters, craftsmen, company men, gamesmen, we want to be in control. And when the government erodes that control, we are not comfortable.
What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminuation, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution. It is reason and not passion which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.
Americanization means the process of becoming an American. It means civic incorporation, becoming a part of the polity - becoming one of us. But that does not mean conformity. We are more than a melting pot, we are a kaleidoscope, where every turn of history refracts new light on the old promise.
We cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the Republic. There is no way to improve upon that. But what we can do is to find new ways to implement that system and realize our destiny.
It is really the mistake of our age. We think it is enough to discover new things, but we don't realize that knowing more demands a corresponding development of morality.
Everyone has to learn to think differently, bigger, to open to possibilities.
I feel like we have to keep our eyes on the road. Being nostalgic is like taking an offramp and getting a sandwich - and then you get back on the highway. I don't want to be spending the rest of my life at the gas station.
You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.
Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have left.
The real destroyer of inner peace is fear and distrust. Fear develops frustration, frustration develops anger, anger develops violence.
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