Controlled hysteria is what's required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It's agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing.
Arthur MillerRead
...When the government goes into the business of destroying trust, it goes into the business of destroying itself.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of trust in governance and how its destruction can lead to the downfall of society.
Arthur Miller's quote reflects the critical role that trust plays in the relationship between the government and its citizens. When a government undermines trust through corruption, lies, or incompetence, it not only alienates its people but ultimately risks its own existence. Trust is foundational to social stability and governance, and its absence can lead to chaos and the erosion of authority.
In practice
In a discussion about political integrity, this quote highlights the consequences of eroding public trust.
Controlled hysteria is what's required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It's agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing.
The word "now" is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks.
Amos Oz is one of the finest novelists of this entire period. MY MICHAEL is a beautiful work of great depth and in some indescribable way lingers in the mind as a lyric song to his country's people as much as a moving love story.
Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.
Oh,Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer.
The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds came home to roost.
The erection of a monument is superfluous, our memory will endure if our lives have deserved it.
You, yesterday, did the usual things, just as any day, You don't know if it's worth remembering. You would prefer to remember, there lying in the half-darkness of the bedroom, not what has happened already but what is going to happen. In your half-darkness your eyes would prefer to look ahead, not behind, and they do not know how to foresee the past.
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.
Pay attention to the hungry, both in this country and around the world. Pay attention to the poor. Pay attention to our responsibilities for world peace. We are our brother's keeper.
As far as you can, get into the habit of asking yourself in relation to any action taken by another: "What is his point of reference here?" But begin with yourself: examine yourself first.
The universe that suckled us is a monster that does not care if we live or die--it does not care if it itself grinds to a halt. It is a beast running on chance and death, careening from nowhere to nowhere. It is fixed and blind, a robot programmed to kill. We are free and seeing; we can only try to outwit it at every turn to save our lives.
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