I doubt very much if a man whose main literary interests were in works by Mr. Zane Grey, admirable as they may be, is particularly equipped to be the chief executive of this country, particularly where Indian Affairs are concerned.
Dean AchesonRead
No people in history have ever survived who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True freedom cannot be maintained by appeasing those who seek to undermine it.
This quote by Dean Acheson emphasizes the idea that survival and the preservation of freedom require standing firm against oppression rather than trying to avoid conflict by being non-threatening. It suggests that attempting to appease adversaries may lead to a loss of freedom, as it indicates a relinquishing of one's own principles and strength in the face of opposition.
Themes
FreedomCourageOppressionConflictStrength
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for civil rights.
More from Dean Acheson
All quotes βNegotiating in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.
Dean AchesonRead
The great corrupter of public man is the ego. Looking at the mirror distracts one's attention from the problem.
Dean AchesonRead
The manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured.
Dean AchesonRead
Negotiation in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.
Dean AchesonRead
I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured.
Dean AchesonRead
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This is a great country and requires a good deal of all of us, so I can imagine nothing more important than for all of you to continue to work in public affairs and be interested in them, not only to bring up a family, but also give part of your time to your community, your state, and your country.
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My dad prepared me for the worst of times while also enabling me to succeed in the best. He taught me to confront the insidiousness of racism head on, no matter what the ramification, so it will not fester. Defeat it and get past it. That was The Talk. Nothing scared me after that.
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Why wouldn't I help? What good reason do I have as a human being with power and a sense of empathy and morality, why wouldn't I do something?
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We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power... the battle, sir, is not to the strong alone it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
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People always say that I didnβt give up my seat because I was tired, but that isnβt true. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
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Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that injustice can be perpetuated by the capacity to kill, or that disputes are necessarily best resolved by resort to violent means.
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