QuoteProject
If women are being oppressed in Egypt or children are being forced to join armies in the Congo, for example, it is not only acceptable but wonderful for Americans to be concerned, outraged, and active.
Stephen Kinzer
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

It is important for people to care and take action against oppression worldwide.

Stephen Kinzer emphasizes that global injustices, such as the oppression of women in Egypt or the conscription of children into armies in the Congo, should elicit a response from those outside these situations. It is not only acceptable but commendable for individuals, particularly Americans, to express concern and take action against these injustices.

Themes

OppressionActivismGlobalInjusticeHuman Rights

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used during a speech at a human rights rally.

More from Stephen Kinzer

Afghanistan's borders are arbitrary, drawn to meet 19th-century political needs rather than to respect ethnic or religious patterns.
Stephen KinzerRead
Guerrilla leaders win wars by being paranoid and ruthless. Once they take power, they are expected to abandon those qualities and embrace opposite ones: tolerance, compromise and humility. Almost none manages to do so.
Stephen KinzerRead
Rwanda has emerged from the devastation of genocide and become more secure and prosperous than anyone had a right to expect.
Stephen KinzerRead
Accepting that Arabs have the right to elect their own leaders means accepting the rise of governments that do not share America's pro-Israel militancy.
Stephen KinzerRead
After installing friendly leaders in Iran and Guatemala, the United States lost interest in promoting democracy in either country.
Stephen KinzerRead
Want to depose the government of a poor country with resources? Want to bash Muslims? Want to build support for American military interventions around the world? Want to undermine governments that are raising their people up from poverty because they don't conform to the tastes of Upper West Side intellectuals? Use human rights as your excuse!
Stephen KinzerRead

Similar quotes

Courage is willingness to take the risk once you know the odds. Optimistic overconfidence means you are taking the risk because you don't know the odds. It's a big difference.
Daniel KahnemanRead
For a dying man it is not a difficult decision [to agree to become the world's first heart transplant] ... because he knows he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled with crocodiles, you will leap into the water convinced you have a chance to swim to the other side. But you would not accept such odds if there were no lion.
Christiaan BarnardRead
Honestly this is not going to change unless the people who want to prevent these kinds of mass shootings from taking place feel at least as passionate, at least as mobilized and well-funded as the NRA and the gun manufacturers are because the politics in Congress are such where even members of Congress who know better are fearful if they vote their conscience and support common sense measures like background checks, they're worried they're going to lose.
Barack ObamaRead
My life wasn't beautiful and creative before I became politically active. My life was totally changed when I began to struggle.
Assata ShakurRead
What I find powerful is a person with the confidence to be her own self.
Oprah WinfreyRead
Brave men don't belong to any one country. I respect bravery wherever I see it.
Harry S. TrumanRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.