It is part of the formidableness of a genuine mass movement that the self-sacrifice it promotes includes also a sacrifice of some of the moral sense, which cramps and restrains our nature.
Eric HofferRead
Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.
Interpretation
Racism stems from ignorance and harms freedom by creating division.
In this quote, Pierre Berton emphasizes that racism is not just a prejudice but a profound ignorance that undermines societal freedom. He argues that it should be confronted directly and eradicated, highlighting its destructive nature and its role in fostering division among people.
In practice
In a speech advocating for equality, one might use this quote to highlight the dangers of racism.
It is part of the formidableness of a genuine mass movement that the self-sacrifice it promotes includes also a sacrifice of some of the moral sense, which cramps and restrains our nature.
Destruction is always an attractive idea. My brother and I used to spend weeks making models of cities so that we could destroy them in 15 minutes. There's a fantastic joy in destroying something that you've meticulously built. Then you're free to build a new thing. Destruction and creation... they're inseparable.
What does the earth look like in the places where people commit atrocities? Is there a bad smell, a genius loci, something about the landscape that might incriminate?
If men were born free, they would, so long as they remained free, form no conception of good and evil.
According to the Stoics, all vice was resolvable into folly: according to the Christian principle, it is all the effect of weakness.
To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive
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