Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
Thurgood MarshallRead
Each of you, as an individual, must pick your own goals. Listen to others, but do not become a blind follower.
Interpretation
Set your own goals while considering the advice of others, but maintain your individuality.
This quote by Thurgood Marshall emphasizes the importance of personal agency in the pursuit of one's ambitions. While it's beneficial to seek guidance and listen to others, true success comes from defining and pursuing your own unique goals rather than merely conforming to the expectations of those around you.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech at a seminar about personal development.
Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting into the pot or he got melted down.
I cannot accept this invitation [to celebrate the bicentenial of the Constitution], for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever 'fixed' at the Philadelphia Convention... To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. [Progressive]
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome; a temporary inconvenience; a stepping stone. Our response to it determines just how helpful it can be.
I have to believe that somebody up there thinks I've still got some work to do.
The odds were against me when I arrived at Central Arkansas. I was barely 6-foot-2 and didn't have a scholarship. But I always felt I could make it to the NBA; it was as if I had foreseen my future, and I knew I would make it.
When everything seems to be going well and your dream is almost within your gasp, that is when you must be more alert than ever.
The essential support and encouragement comes from within, arising out of the mad notion that your society needs to know what only you can tell it.
Only by coming to grips with difficulty can you realize your full potential.
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