Quotes about Dissent
The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Talent ... is most likely to be found among non-conformists, dissenters, and rebels.
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.
No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices. (about Senator Joseph McCarthy's accusations about Communism in the American government)
The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.
It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is nor an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment
The beginning of thought is in disagreement -- not only with others but also with ourselves.
You've got to rattle your cage door. You've got to let them know that you're in there, and that you want out. Make noise. Cause trouble. You may not win right away, but you'll sure have a lot more fun.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.
In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith.
Nothing is complete and thus nothing is exempt from criticism.
Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed -- and no republic can survive
Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
Non-cooperation is a measure of discipline and sacrifice, and it demands respect for the opposite views.
You do not become a "dissident" just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society.
Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Talent ... is most likely to be found among non-conformists, dissenters, and rebels.
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.
No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices. (about Senator Joseph McCarthy's accusations about Communism in the American government)
The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.
It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is nor an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment
The beginning of thought is in disagreement -- not only with others but also with ourselves.
You've got to rattle your cage door. You've got to let them know that you're in there, and that you want out. Make noise. Cause trouble. You may not win right away, but you'll sure have a lot more fun.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.
In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith.
Nothing is complete and thus nothing is exempt from criticism.
Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed -- and no republic can survive
Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
Non-cooperation is a measure of discipline and sacrifice, and it demands respect for the opposite views.
You do not become a "dissident" just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society.
Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.