It is not in giving life but in risking life that man is raised above the animal; that is why superiority has been accorded in humanity not to the sex that brings forth but to that which kills.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
In North America, the greatest threat to the Jewish people is not the external force of antisemitism, but the internal forces of apathy, inertia and ignorance of our own heritage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The real danger to the Jewish community comes from within rather than from outside hostility.
Michael Steinhardt emphasizes that the greater challenge facing the Jewish people in North America is not the overt antisemitism from outside forces, but rather a lack of engagement with their own cultural heritage. This internal apathy, inertia, and ignorance poses a significant threat to the vitality and continuity of the Jewish identity and community.
Themes
JewishHeritageApathyIgnoranceCultural Identity
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting, this quote could be used to inspire a discussion on the importance of cultural education.
Similar quotes
When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
That is true culture which helps us to work for the social betterment of all.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
The woods of Arcady are dead, And over is their antique joy; Of old the world on dreaming fed Gray Truth is now her painted toy.
William Butler YeatsRead
Of course I don't believe in it [pointing to horseshoe on his office wall]. But I understand that it brings you luck whether you believe in it or not.
Niels BohrRead
A map such as that one is worth many hundreds, and as luck will have it, thousands of dollars. But more than this, it is a remembrance of that time before our planet was so small. When this map was made, I thought, you could live without knowing where you were not living.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead