Mostly I am sorry for the way I thought of other people. Like a good general, I had treated everyone who wasn't with me as against me.
Lee AtwaterRead
It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker reflects on a difficult experience that revealed profound truths about society's moral challenges.
In this quote, Lee Atwater suggests that personal struggles, particularly those as serious as a deadly illness, can lead to important insights about broader societal issues. He implies that the moral decay and ambitions of the country can be better understood through individual suffering, indicating a relationship between personal hardship and collective awareness.
Themes
TruthIllnessSocietyMoralAmbitions
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about personal growth after adversity.
More from Lee Atwater
All quotes →I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime.
Lee AtwaterRead
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