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Parents and schools should place great emphasis on the idea that it is all right to be different. Racism and all the other 'isms' grow from primitive tribalism, the instinctive hostility against those of another tribe, race, religion, nationality, class or whatever. You are a lucky child if your parents taught you to accept diversity.
Roger Ebert
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Acceptance of diversity is vital for a harmonious society.

This quote by Roger Ebert emphasizes the importance of teaching children to embrace differences among people, as this acceptance is fundamental in combating discriminatory behaviors such as racism. He suggests that many prejudices stem from a basic tribal instinct to resist those who are different, and advocates for the nurturing of an inclusive mindset that values diversity.

Themes

DiversityAcceptanceEducationRacismTribalism

In practice

Example use cases

Use this quote during a school assembly to promote tolerance.

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Socrates told us, "the unexamined life is not worth living." I think he's calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge.
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There are no guarantees. But there is also nothing to fear. We come from oblivion when we are born. We return to oblivion when we die. The astonishing thing is this period of in-between.
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In the best of all possible worlds, directors would obsess about the quality of their storytelling, and not the details of their technical methods.
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