Both now and for always, I intend to hold fast to my belief in the hidden strength of the human spirit.
Andrei SakharovRead
Intellectual freedom is the only guarantee of a scientific - democratic approach to politics, economic development, and culture.
Interpretation
Intellectual freedom is essential for progress in science, politics, and culture.
This quote emphasizes the importance of intellectual freedom as a foundational aspect of a democratic society. It asserts that without the ability to think freely and express ideas, it is impossible to foster advancements in politics, economic development, and cultural practices, ultimately leading to a more effective and equitable society.
In practice
In a speech advocating for academic reform, one might quote Sakharov to highlight the need for unimpeded thought.
Both now and for always, I intend to hold fast to my belief in the hidden strength of the human spirit.
A country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbours
I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society. I reject the notion that the death penalty has any essential deterrent effect on potential offenders. I am convinced that the contrary is true - that savagery begets only savagery.
We are, all of us, exploring a world none of us understands...searching for a more immediate, ecstatic, and penetrating mode of living...for the integrity, the courage to be whole, living in relation to one another in the full poetry of existence. The struggle for an integrated life existing in an atmosphere of communal trust and respect is one with desperately important political and social consequences...Fear is always with us, but we just don't have time for it.
The lotus grows in muddy waters but this flower does not show any trace of it: So we have to live in the world.
When I read obituaries I always note the age of the deceased. Automatically I relate this figure to my own age. Four years to go, I think. Nine more years. Two years and I'm dead. The power of numbers is never more evident than when we use them to speculate on the time of our dying.
Now Coraline," said Miss Spink, "what's your name?" "Coraline," said Coraline. "And we don't know each other, do we?" Coraline looked at the thin young woman with black button eyes and shook her head slowly.
Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day.
For a man of my generation, our century has been a long intellectual and political struggle in favor of freedom.
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