My principal motive is the belief that we can still make admirable sense of our lives even if we cease to have... an ambition of transcendence.
Richard RortyRead
A talent for speaking differently, rather than for arguing well is the chief instrument of cultural change.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Effective communication can drive cultural transformation more than strong arguments.
This quote by Richard Rorty emphasizes the importance of expressing ideas in unique ways as a means to inspire and enact cultural change. Instead of merely presenting well-structured arguments, the ability to communicate differently opens pathways for new perspectives and encourages societal evolution.
Themes
CommunicationChangeCultureIdeasPerspectives
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social justice, one might reference this quote to emphasize innovative communication.
More from Richard Rorty
All quotes βTo say that truth is not out there is simply to say that where there are no sentences there is no truth, that sentences are elements of human languages, and that languages are human creations.~ The suggestion that truth~ is out there is a legacy of an age in which the world was seen as the creation of a being who had a language his own.
Richard RortyRead
The world does not speak. Only we do. The world can, once we have programmed ourselves with a language, cause us to hold beliefs. But it cannot propose a language for us to speak. Only other human beings can do that.
Richard RortyRead
Philosophy makes progress not by becoming more rigorous but by becoming more imaginative.
Richard RortyRead
National pride is to countries what self-respect is to individuals: a necessary condition for self-improvement.
Richard RortyRead
There is nothing deep down inside us except what we have put there ourselves.
Richard RortyRead
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