Even when you err, it is a thousand times better to err out of conviction than to hide your true opinion to respect some authority.
Interpretation
It's better to express your genuine beliefs, even if they're wrong, than to suppress them to please others.
This quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity and personal conviction in one’s beliefs and opinions. It suggests that making mistakes while being true to oneself is far more valuable than conforming to societal pressures or authority figures by hiding one’s true thoughts. By advocating for honesty and integrity, it promotes the idea that personal growth and understanding can arise from our errors and misunderstandings.
In practice
During a debate, you can quote this to emphasize the importance of standing by your beliefs.
Agitators are a set of interfering, meddling people, who come down to some perfectly contented class of the community and sow the seeds of discontent amongst them. That is the reason why agitators are so absolutely necessary. Without them, in our incomplete state, there would be no advance towards civilization.
As a general rule, I would say that human beings never behave more badly toward one another than when they believe they are protecting God.
Without war there are no heroes. What harm would that be? Oh, Lavinia, what a woman's question that is.
Being able to live without having to be defined by your skin color is the hallmark of privilege.
Only those persons who have lived, really lived, are ready, welcoming, receptive, thankful to death. Then death is not the enemy. Then death becomes the fulfillment.
I have spent years studying what it means to be white in a society that proclaims race meaningless, yet is deeply divided by race.
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