If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
Our generation was born during the turmoil following the First World War. That war marked the dividing line - at least for the Western World - between the comfortable security of the 19th century and the instability and flux of our own time.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the significant impact of World War I on the subsequent generation.
Robert Kennedy's quote encapsulates the profound changes experienced by those born in the aftermath of the First World War. He highlights how this tumultuous event created a stark contrast between the relative stability of the 19th century and the uncertainty of the 20th century, underscoring the long-lasting effects of global conflict on societal conditions and generational experiences.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the impact of historical events on subsequent generations.
If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness.
History is the queen of the humanities. It teaches wisdom and humility, and it tells us how things change through time.
I was 10 years old when my father was assassinated in 1968. Then, I had some sense of the sacrifices and hardships required of the families of a leader who was constantly in the news.
During World War II, law-abiding Japanese-American citizens were herded into remote internment camps, losing their jobs, businesses and social standing, while an all-Japanese-American division fought heroically in Europe.
The histories of the poor and the powerless are as important as those of their conquerors, their colonizers, their kings and queens.
No history is mute. No matter how much they own it, break it, and lie about it, human history refuses to shut its mouth. Despite deafness and ignorance, the time that was continues to tick inside the time that is.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.