Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to question its government.
Richard N. HaassRead
I am confident in saying that Oberlin did more for me than vice versa. I took a fantastic class in religion, which led me to archaeology, which got me to the Middle East, which led me to international relations, which launched me on my career.
Interpretation
Education often provides individuals with invaluable opportunities that shape their careers.
This quote by Richard N. Haass highlights the profound impact that education can have on a person's life. He reflects on how his experiences at Oberlin not only provided him with knowledge but also opened up a series of pathways leading to various fields and ultimately to his career, showcasing the importance of a liberal arts education in creating diverse opportunities for personal and professional growth.
In practice
During a graduation speech, one could use this quote to emphasize the transformative power of education.
Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to question its government.
American influence in the world depends on the ability to act with real capacity and set an example that others will want to follow. This all takes resources.
There is no getting around the reality that the second Iraq war was a war of choice; had it been carried out differently, it still would have been an expensive choice and almost certainly a bad one.
Nationalism is a tool increasingly used by leaders to bolster their authority, especially amid difficult economic and political conditions.
What countries must do to join the World Trade Organization is precisely what they must do to become productive and democratic: accept the rule of law, reduce corruption, and become open, accountable, and transparent.
Terrorism needs to be de-legitimized in the way that slavery has been. Doing so will make governments and individuals think twice before becoming a party to terrorism; it should also make it less difficult to garner support for international action against those who nevertheless carry it out.
The proudest moment for [a teacher of leaders] is seeing not what students learn but what they do.
When I talk to students - and I still think of myself more than anything as a kind of professor on leave - they say, 'Well, how do I get to do what you do?'... And I say, 'Well, you have to start out by being a failed piano major.' And my point to them is don't try to have a 10-year plan. Find the next thing that interests you and follow that.
If a nation allows its literary culture to die, it's a sign that it doesn't fundamentally care.
I've got a 12-year-old grandson who, when he was 3 years old, before he could say many other words, could name the different kinds of dinosaurs.
The usual way the people are taught to think in amerika is that each subject is in a little compartment and has no relation to any other subject. For the most part, we receive fragments of unrelated knowledge, and our education follows no logical format or pattern. It is exactly this kind of education that produces people who don’t have the ability to think for themselves and who are easily manipulated.
We are all shaped by the tools we use, in particular: the formalisms we use shape our thinking habits, for better or for worse, and that means that we have to be very careful in the choice of what we learn and teach, for unlearning is not really possible.
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