We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men β not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between dissent and disloyalty while advocating for the courage to uphold truth and justice.
In this quote, Edward R. Murrow urges us to separate dissent from disloyalty, reminding us that accusations alone do not signify guilt. He highlights the necessity of maintaining due process and the principle of evidence in the face of fear and societal pressure, drawing on the strength and bravery of those who came before us who fought for their beliefs despite adversity.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about civil rights to emphasize the importance of free expression.
We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them.
One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles.
Speaking of Sir Winston Churchill: He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.
We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.
... resistance to tyranny is man's highest ideal.
The fact is, violence is not only not a beautiful thing, but it's also very painful and not without consequences for the perpetrator as well as the victim.
Even in my really bad, drugged-out days, I didn't go away. I still toured, still did interviews. I never gave up the fight. That's why I'm who I am today, because I didn't leave. And I think I made the right choice.
No mortal man could frighten him, no more than the darkness could, nor the bones of his soul, the grey and grisly bones of his soul.
They say I need to be seasoned; they say I need to be stewed. They say, 'We need to boil all the hope out of him -- like us -- and then he'll be ready.'
No one's ever completely broken. It's just a matter of how much has to fall apart before the ember of life is exposed to air.
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