It is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.
George F. KennanRead
It is an undeniable privilege of every man to prove himself right in the thesis that the world is his enemy; for if he reiterates it frequently enough and makes it the background of his conduct he is bound eventually to be right.
Interpretation
Individuals can shape their perception of the world into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
George F. Kennan's quote suggests that if a person continually views the world as antagonistic towards them, their mindset can manifest that belief into reality. This negative outlook can lead to behaviors and attitudes that reinforce the perception of the world as an enemy, illustrating the power of self-fulfilling prophecies in human experience.
In practice
In a motivational speech about the power of mindset, this quote can illustrate how negative beliefs can shape outcomes.
It is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.
The best thing we can do if we want the Russians to let us be Americans is to let the Russians be Russian.
We should cease to talk about vague and unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better.
Actually, the inability of any society to resist immigration, the inability to find other solutions to the problem of employment at the lower, more physical, and menial levels of the economic process, is a serious weakness, and possibly even a fatal one, in any national society. The fully healthy society would find ways to meet those needs out of its own resources.
One sometimes feels a guest of one's time and not a member of its household.
The accords were fig leaves of democratic procedure to hide the nakedness of Stalinist dictatorship.
I turn to history not for lessons but to confront my experience with the experience of others and to win for myself a sense of responsibility for the state of the human conscience.
They felt that science would be corrosive to religious belief and they were worried about it. Damn it, I think they were right. It is corrosive to religious belief and it's a good thing.
We are not responsible to God for the soul that are saved, but we are responsible for the Gospel that is preached, and for the way in which we preach it
The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.
If you live long enough, sooner or later everybody you know has cancer.
I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God.
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