QuoteProject
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.
John Ralston Saul
ShareWTF𝕏

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

Certain governments are suggesting that bloggers and tweeters aren't 'real' writers and, so, don't merit protection. A writer is anyone from a Nobel laureate to a debut blogger. They all get PEN's attention.
John Ralston SaulRead
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

Similar quotes

Come Judgment Day, we may find that Mumbo Jumbo the God of the Congo was the Big Boss all along.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
And simple truth miscalled simplicity
William ShakespeareRead
In order that punishment should not be an act of violence perpetrated by one or many upon a private citizen, it is essential that it should be public, speedy, necessary, the minimum possible in the given circumstances, proportionate to the crime, and determined by the law.
Cesare BeccariaRead
Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. Sometimes it hurts, but when you are Real you don't mind being hurt. It doesn't happen all at once. You become. Once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand. Once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.
Margery WilliamsRead
Only times and places, only names and ghosts.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing.
Therese Of LisieuxRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.