You can't disobey the rules every time you disapprove. However, when you're considering something that constitutes an extreme abridgement of your rights, conscience is the court of last resort.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of standing up against unjust rules while acknowledging the need to obey laws that may not seem fair.
Mario Savio's quote captures the tension between following societal rules and the moral obligation to resist when those rules infringe upon fundamental rights. It asserts that while one should generally adhere to the established norms, there are critical moments when personal conscience must take precedence, especially regarding significant violations of justice or individual rights.
In practice
In a speech advocating for civil rights, one could reference this quote to inspire action against unjust laws.
The 'futures' and 'careers' for which American students now prepare are for the most part intellectual and moral wastelands. This chrome-plated consumers' paradise would have us grow up to be well-behaved children. But an important minority of men and women coming to the front today have shown they will die rather than be standardized, replaceable, and irrelevant.
Let bravery be thy choice, but not bravado.
Thereβs only one basic principle of self-defense- you must apply the most effective weapon, as soon as possible, to the most vulnerable target.
Racism kills people. It kills people!
The outcome of fear is disappointment and shyness is frustration.
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
It could achieve a lot if everyone in Burma could stop saying something is good if it is not good, or say something is just if it is not just.
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