War does horrible things to human beings, to societies. It brings out the best, but most often the worst, in our human nature.
Richard EngelRead
If democracy brings an undemocratic group to power, is that a victory for democracy?
Interpretation
The quote questions the integrity of democracy when it allows undemocratic entities to gain power.
Richard Engel's quote presents a paradox within democratic systems, where the election or rise of a group that does not adhere to democratic principles challenges the validity of the democratic process itself. It prompts readers to reflect on the implications of majority rule and the need to protect democratic values against the potential of being undermined by those who do not believe in democracy.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of safeguarding democratic values.
War does horrible things to human beings, to societies. It brings out the best, but most often the worst, in our human nature.
He who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing Tasawwuf corrupts himself. _x000D_ _x000D_ Only he who combines the two proves true.
If, sir, men were all virtuous, I should with great alacrity teach them all to fly. But what would be the security of the good if the bad could at pleasure invade them from the sky? Against an army sailing through the clouds neither wall, nor mountains, nor seas could afford any security.
To think justly, we must understand what others mean. To know the value of our thoughts, we must try their effect on other minds.
Our fortunes rise together, and they fall together. 'All men are brothers,' said the Analects. We have a collective responsibility-to bring about a more stable and more prosperous world, a world in which every person in every country can reach their full potential.
You will win as many souls as God gives you, but no one will be converted by your own power.
The sinister, the terrible never deceive: the state in which they leave us is always one of enlightenment. And only this condition of vicious insight allows us a full grasp of the world, all things considered, just as a frigid melancholy grants us full possession of ourselves. We may hide from horror only in the heart of horror. (“The Medusa”)
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