You can't educate a child who isn't healthy, and you can't keep a child healthy who isn't educated.
Joycelyn EldersRead
As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough to make sexual decisions for anybody else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the lack of trust in others' ability to make personal decisions, particularly regarding sexuality.
In this quote, Joycelyn Elders expresses her skepticism about the competence and moral integrity of others, especially in positions of power, to make sexual decisions for individuals. It suggests that personal matters, particularly those relating to sexuality, should be left to individuals themselves rather than being determined by lawmakers or authority figures who may not understand or empathize with the complexities of personal choice.
Themes
SexualityDecisionsIndividualityTrustAuthority
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for personal freedoms and rights over one's own body.
More from Joycelyn Elders
All quotes →I want every child that's born in the world to be planned and wanted.
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Doctor, I have more education than most white people.
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It is often easier for our children to obtain a gun than it is to find a good school.
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We've tried ignorance for a thousand years. It's time we try education.
Joycelyn EldersRead
You can't be what you don't see. I didn't think about being a doctor. I didn't even think about being a clerk in a store, I'd never seen a black clerk in a clothing store.
Joycelyn EldersRead
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