What difference do it make if the thing you scared of is real or not?
Toni MorrisonRead
Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.
Interpretation
True power lies in the ability to show restraint and compassion even in extreme circumstances.
This quote by Thomas Keneally highlights the profound notion that true strength is not merely the ability to exert force or dominance, but rather the capacity to control one's impulses and choose a path of non-violence. It presents a moral perspective where the ability to refrain from harm, despite having the justification to do so, is a testament to one's character and ethical framework.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about ethics in leadership.
What difference do it make if the thing you scared of is real or not?
I did take the blows [of life], but I took them with my chin up, in dignity, because I so profoundly love and respect humanity.
To fear to face an issue is to believe that the worst is true.
Because we have suffered, and we are not afraid to suffer in order to survive, we are ready to give up everything - even our lives - in our struggle for justice.
I am an opponent of war and of war preparations and an opponent of universal military training and conscription; but entirely apart from that issue, I hold that segregation in any part of the body politic is an act of slavery and an act of war.
Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts.
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