If freedom makes social progress possible, so social progress strengthens and enlarges freedom. The two are inseparable partners in the great adventure of humanity.
Robert KennedyRead
...if we want to meet the obligations of our civilization and our culture which are to create communities for our children that provide them with the same opportunities for dignity and enrichment as the communities that our parents gave us, we've got to start by protecting that infrastructure; the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the landscapes that enrich us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of environmental protection to ensure future generations have the same opportunities as previous ones.
Robert Kennedy's quote highlights the obligation we have to create a sustainable environment for the next generation. By ensuring that our communities provide the essential resources such as clean air and water, we are safeguarding the dignity and enrichment that our parents provided us. It urges us to recognize that protecting our natural infrastructure is a vital part of fulfilling our cultural and civil responsibilities.
Themes
EnvironmentFutureCommunityProtectionOpportunitiesNature
In practice
Example use cases
During an environmental conference, we can quote this to emphasize our responsibility toward future generations.
More from Robert Kennedy
All quotes →Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
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Within the United States, we have put great emphasis upon political freedoms. Because it has been our experience that these freedoms can lead to others.
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It is one thing to open job opportunities. It is another to train people to fill them, or to persuade American enterprise to seek Negro as well as white applicants.
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Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.
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The Gross National Product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.
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