By their innocence and goodness, by their boundless capacity for forgiveness, and by the sheer power of their faith and hope, children redeem their parents, bringing out their best selves.
Cass SunsteinRead
It can be easy and tempting, especially during a presidential campaign, to listen only to opinions that mirror and fortify one's own. That's not ideal, because it eliminates learning and makes it impossible for people to understand what they dismiss as 'the other side.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote warns against only engaging with opinions that align with our own, as it hinders understanding and learning.
Cass Sunstein's quote emphasizes the importance of considering diverse perspectives, especially in politically charged environments such as presidential campaigns. By only listening to opinions that reinforce our own beliefs, we close ourselves off to valuable insights and critical understanding of opposing viewpoints, leading to a more polarized society and preventing the intellectual growth that comes from dialogue and debate.
Themes
PerspectiveUnderstandingDialogueDiversityLearningOpinion
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about local policies, I reminded everyone that understanding different viewpoints is crucial for finding effective solutions.
More from Cass Sunstein
All quotes →If a company has acted badly, people want to punish it - not in order to deter future misconduct, but simply because they're outraged. And the more outraged they are, the more punishment they want to inflict.
Cass SunsteinRead
If you look at a great city, one of its amazing features is that you're going to find all sorts of things that you might not specifically have chosen in advance. And they will change your day. Maybe your month. Maybe your whole life.
Cass SunsteinRead
Research shows that if people are talking and listening to like-minded others, they become more dogmatic, more unified, and more extreme. Personalized Facebook experiences are a breeding ground for misunderstanding and miscommunication across political lines and, ultimately, for extremism.
Cass SunsteinRead
If the air quality is terrible in Los Angeles, if a particular university is unusually expensive, if crime is on the rise in Dallas, or if a company has a lot of recalled toys, transparency can spur change. Whenever public or private institutions have to answer to the public, their performance is likely to improve.
Cass SunsteinRead
Facebook seems to think that it would be liberating if everyone's News Feed could be personalized so that people see only and exactly what they want. Don't believe it. That's a prison.
Cass SunsteinRead
Similar quotes
They tell me what to wear, how to look, what I should say, how I should be. Until recently I had given into that pressure, I lost sight of who I was. I listened to opinions of people and I tried to change who I am because I thought others would accept me for it. And I realized I don't know how to be anything but myself.
Selena GomezRead
You cried when He took away your drop of water, not knowing He'd saved for you, the sea.
Yasmin MogahedRead
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
Khalil GibranRead
Much reading has brought upon us a learned barbarism.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Just as the sun is infinitely brighter than a candle flame, there is infinitely more intelligence in Being than in your mind
Eckhart TolleRead
I've a theory that one can always get anything one wants if one will pay the price. And do you know what the price is, nine times out of ten? Compromise.
Agatha ChristieRead