The only way to eliminate any government choice on what art is worthwhile, what art isn't worthwhile, is to get the government totally out of the business of funding.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Burning the flag is a form of expression. Speech doesn't just mean written words or oral words. It could be semaphore. And burning a flag is a symbol that expresses an idea - I hate the government, the government is unjust, whatever.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Burning the flag is a symbolic form of expression that conveys dissent against the government.
In this quote, Antonin Scalia articulates the idea that freedom of speech encompasses all forms of expression, not limited to spoken or written words. He highlights that acts like burning a flag serve as potent symbols for signaling discontent with authority or government policies, reinforcing the notion that differing opinions deserve to be expressed, even if they provoke controversy.
Themes
ExpressionFreedomSpeechDissentSymbolismGovernmentFlagProtest
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on civil rights, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of all forms of expression.
More from Antonin Scalia
All quotes →If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.
Antonin ScaliaRead
To allow the policy question of same-sex marriage to be considered and resolved by a select, patrician, highly unrepresentative panel of nine is to violate a principle even more fundamental than no taxation without representation: no social transformation without representation.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best. Individuals on both sides of the issue passionately, but respectfully, attempted to persuade their fellow citizens to accept their views.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction.
Antonin ScaliaRead
If you're going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you're not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, you're probably doing something wrong.
Antonin ScaliaRead
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