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John Ralston SaulRead
Canada is either an idea or it does not exist. It is either an intellectual undertaking or it is little more than a resource-rich vacuum lying in the buffer zone just north of a great empire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the dual nature of Canada as a concept versus a physical entity, questioning its identity and significance.
John Ralston Saul's quote explores the essence of Canada, suggesting that it can be perceived either as a profound idea representing values and aspirations, or simply as a geographically isolated space rich in resources. This perspective underscores the philosophical debate regarding national identity, existence, and purpose, asking whether a nation is defined by its geography and wealth or by the ideals and thoughts that shape it.
Themes
CanadaIdentityPhilosophyNationhoodIntellectual
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about national identity at a cultural symposium.
More from John Ralston Saul
All quotes →Our civilization is locked in the grip of an ideology - corporatism. An ideology that denies and undermines the legitimacy of individuals as the citizen in a democracy. The particular imbalance of this ideology leads to a worship of self-interest and a denial of the public good. The practical effects on the individual are passivity and conformism in the areas that matter, and non-conformism in the areas that don't
John Ralston SaulRead
The best defence [for a democracy, for the public good] is aggressiveness, the aggressiveness of the involved citizen. We need to reassert that slow, time-consuming, inefficient, boring process that requires our involvement; it is called 'being a citizen.' The public good is not something that you can see. It is not static. It is a process. It is the process by which democratic civilizations build themselves.
John Ralston SaulRead
Languages and cultures are disappearing at an enormously fast rate, and many of them are in Canada. These are extreme examples of removal of freedom of expression - to actually lose a language and the ability to express that culture.
John Ralston SaulRead
In Canada, there's a surprising worship of managerialism versus ownership and wealth creation. There's a real problem in this country with believing that management is the answer to our problems.
John Ralston SaulRead
One of the things non-aboriginal Canadians learned from aboriginal people over the last 400 years is you don't have to be one thing. That's a European idea. There's multiple personalities, multiple loyalties. You can be a Winnipegger, a Manitoban, a Westerner.
John Ralston SaulRead
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